Fire Emblem Re-Awakening
by Blue Sun Studios
Summary: In the world of Awakening, two godly dragons lay dormant; one a sacred ally to all life, the other it's sworn destroyer. Dive into this place of fantasy as people from all over its lands come together and set off to determine the fate of the world. What will come about from the reawakening of these two dragons? Will it be everlasting peace or eternal death?
1. Prologue: The Verge of History Part 1

Author's Notes: It was about time I decided to throw my hat into the FanFiction ring. This will be my first legitimate fanfic that I have ever posted here; I did say that I would do a Dragon Ball oriented one somewhere and I intend to do that soon, but Fire Emblem Awakening has snatched up all of my attention for the time being. This is a form of rewrite/twist of Awakening and it is not a self-insert in any manner. Some things in Awakening _will_ be changed here, ranging from minor to heavily plot twisting. In any case, let's get to the disclaimer below.

The following is a nonprofit fan based work. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon-Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. _**Warning:**_ this Fan-Fiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and (Constructive) Review at your own discretion.

* * *

Prologue: The Verge of History Part 1

* * *

"...Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING..." a feminine voice called out in the darkness.

"What do you propose we do?" an older and more masculine voice responded.

"I... I dunno..." the female voice answered. "I mean... they're just lying out here where anything could happen to them, and they're in pretty bad shape..."

"You couldn't be any more correct Lissa, but are they even alive?" a third voice asked, bearing more stoicism than the other two. "They appear to have lost a large amount of… blood? Or whatever it is that substance happens to be."

"It's blood alright, but in all my short years as a doctor I've _never_ seen blood this color. I also checked for their vital signs and they're still hanging on, but at this rate they'll be dead come tomorrow's sunset if they're not taken to a specialist. I'd already tried patching them up but the wounds just won't heal for some reason. Please Chrom, we gotta—"

"_Ughhhhh..."_ two weakened voices groaned out near simultaneously, immediately drawing attention from the people surrounding them. Flitting their eyes open, the two strangers were greeted by the relieved faces of a blue-haired man and a smaller, blonde girl.

"I see that you're finally awake now." the man called out, the girl besides him chiming in afterwards.

"Hey there. You two feeling alright?" The girl just seemed to radiate an aura of caring.

"Whatever did this to you two must have left you to take a permanent dirt nap out here. Here, give me your hands."

Right as they tried lifting their arms pain shot right into them and forced the limbs back down into the grass. Hissing in agony, it seemed the two couldn't move around much.

"Oh boy... Frederick, can you come help me get these two in the wagon? And Lissa, I'm gonna need you too." The knight a few feet behind the duo made his way to the grounded individuals.

Finally addressing the pair, he gave the man a brief instruction. "Now, I want for you to remain still for but a moment, as moving while I lift and carry you up may prove dangerous to your health."

"So you've got the guy huh? Alright then, me and Lissa will get the girl up." Getting in positions the knight knelt beside the fallen young man while the other two gathered around the woman's head and legs. "Alright, are we ready? Slowly lift them up by the count of three; one… two… _three_!"

The knight wasted no time placing his arms underneath the man's back and legs, gently hoisting him up almost like a groom would a bride. The younger soldier took the woman by her back and the cleric lifted her by her legs. The two injured folks didn't seem to weigh much, possibly from the major blood loss the travelers thought.

"Alright then." the blue-haired man spoke. "Now let's get them over to the wagon and sit 'em up." Taking the lead, the knight strode with the bloody man in his arms, making it to the nearby wagon quicker than his companions. Once there, the trio laid them in the cargo seat sitting straight with their back up against the boxes.

"You two alright now?" the soldier asked them, concern showing clear in his voice. The two strangers looked up at him, smiling weakly yet with a warm look.

"…_Y-yeah…"_ the man replied, with the woman replying shortly afterwards. _"Th-thank you… so much…"_

"You're both very welcome. By the way, do you two remember what did this to you?"

Looking at each other for a few seconds, they looked back at the man with confused expressions.

"_No…"_ they answered simultaneously, earning quick glances aimed at themselves and each other.

"Wow, you two must be twins or something, hee hee." The younger girl chimed in. "That's pretty interesting."

"That would explain their similar looks, especially the snow white hair and their clothing. So, what are your names, and what brings you two out here?"

"_Our… names? Well, mine is… it's… um…?"_ the man seemed to struggle with remembering his name. If he was any indication, the woman besides him was having the same problem. This was shocking and mildly disturbing to the trio, with the apparent leader voicing his thoughts first.

"…You don't know your own names? Not even each other's?"

"_We're not sure if… I'm sorry but where are we exactly?" _the confused woman asked. Casting unsure glances around the area, this brought up a certain medical condition to the girl besides her.

"Oh gods, I know what this is called: amnesia. Tell me; does it hurt trying to remember anything?"

"…_Well, it does give me a splitting… headache I think it's called?"_ _"…yeah, me too…"_

"Yup, they're suffering from amnesia." The girl stated, turning to face the other two travelers. "They're displaying nearly every symptom associated with it to boot."

"_What's… what's amnesia?"_ the man asked her, quickly getting her attention. Instead of her speaking up, the knight nearby the horse answered the question.

"It is a condition where the afflicted victim fails to remember anything prior to them coming into consciousness. I believe it may have to do with whatever that attacked you two some designated time before our arrival."

"_Is… is that true? Is that why I—I mean _we_ can't remember anything?"_

"It's EXACTLY why you can't remember anything." The soldier in front of them confirmed. "Come on guys we can't just leave them out here for something else to get to them, whether they be good or evil; I mean, what kind of Shepherds would we be if we did?"

"Not exactly virtuous ones milord." The knight responded. "We must emphasize what we stand for, and in the case of these two individuals, caution. 'Twould not do if a wolf were to come upon these poor sheep in such a condition."

"_Sh-sheep? We're not sheep… right?"_

"Heh, relax. It was just a metaphor—we'll get you guys back and see if we can get you some help."

"…_thank you…"_ _"…so much…"_ Their looks of genuine gratitude made it near impossible for the others to not smile back at them, including the rather stone faced knight.

"Any time. Alright Frederick, we're ready to get going."

"Very well milord." The knight jumped atop his armored horse and signaled for it to start moving. The other two decided to walk besides the wagon, keeping the two passengers company as they left the field for town.

* * *

Come on hour later and the travelling group was nearing a town in the southern area of the land. Curious and despite their grogginess, the two individuals in the wagon decided to strike up a conversation, if mostly to get a better understanding of what's happening.

"…_Um, by the way,"_ The man spoke up, getting the others to focus on them for the time being. _"Where… where exactly are we going?"_

"Ylisstol my friends." the man replied. "It's the capital of Ylisse, the halidom we're all headed back to. This continent also happens to be named Ylisse, so it might get a little confusing referring to either one of the two."

"_Ylisse huh... That sounds like such a—a nice place."_ the woman complimented, gaining a look of pride from the older knight.

"Why thank you miss. I assure you that the halidom is as pleasant as you believe it to be, hopefully more so." Suddenly scowling, his following tone lacked the mirth it held earlier as the group made it into the town's square. "But, as with many nations it too had its own low points in the past. Thankfully those dark days are long over, but… I felt that there was a need to inform you in case you happen to learn of Ylisse's history later. This way, you would already be aware of the knowledge you'd find."

"Indeed." The other man agreed. "It wouldn't do well to keep you uninformed of what's happened. But enough about that, why don't we introduce ourselves proper? My name is Chrom, and the delicate one here would be my baby sister, Lissa."

"Wha—Chrom, does this right here say that I'm delicate?" the girl asked, brandishing her rather large axe to her brother. "I don't think so you jerk! …Just ignore my brother saying that, he can be quite thickheaded sometimes."

"I am NOT thickheaded!" Chrom vehemently rebuked, earning some small giggles and chuckles from the rest. "*sigh* Regardless you're blessed that we, the Shepherds, happened to come across you. Had it been some brigands, chances of you ever seeing the light of day would be slim."

"_W-wait,"_ the woman paused. _"You're all shepherds… who tend sheep in… full armor?"_

"Uh-huh." Lissa replied, followed by her brother in kind. "It's more dangerous than you think it sounds. Just ask Frederick the wary over here." he said, pointing a thumb towards the knight behind him.

"I title I shall eternally wear with pride; gods forbid that one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution out here. Admittedly, I find both of your cases of amnesia suspicious to some degree, but you appear to be completely earnest so you have my trust strangers."

Hearing this put the two passengers at ease. _"Thank you sir."_ _"That means a lot to us. I can… see how you must feel, and I'd do no less myself…."_ _"That goes double for me too… if only we could… remember our names…"_

"_Ooh_, _ooh_, I got something!" Lissa excitedly piped up. "Since we found you guys, can we name you? _Pretty please?_"

"Lissa, I don't think they'd really like—"

"…_S-sure, go ahead…"_ The woman replied. _"I guess we can keep them… until we figure out our real names at the least..."_

"…Okay then… Lissa, why don't you do it? I'm terrible coming up with names for things."

"_YAY!_ Alright then, lessee what'll be a good one? Hmmm… I know! How about _'Bleu'_ for the guy and '_Rouge'_ for the girl?"

Raising an eyebrow, Chrom turned to his sister. "That's 'blue' and 'red' in Rosanese… I didn't know you spoke that language."

"Yup, I sure do. Took several classes with Virion to get it."

"Oh, _him_. I should've figured that he'd teach you that language."

"What, you don't like him?"

"It's not that; I just thought it would've been Maribelle, but I guess I was wrong."

"_Those sound like… really lovely names, Lissa…"_ the newly named woman said, the girl's face beaming in delight from the compliment. The man besides her also seemed to like them. _"Yeah… they're real ni-… wait, do you guys… smell something?"_

"Like what exactly?" Chrom asked, not picking up on it until a second later. "Hold on…*sniff* that kind of smells like—"

"_FIRE!"_ Lissa screamed. Pointing off behind them, part of the town had been torched, with smoke billowing in the air.

"Damn it! It has to be brigands behind this! Frederick, Lissa, quickly!"

"What of them milord?" Frederick asked, concerned for the other two' safety. "Are they to be relocated somewhere safe from the fires?"

"I feel the same right now, but we don't have enough time to do that! Trust me, they'll be safe here!"

"...Very well then milord..."

"C'mon guys let's go already!" Lissa added, impatience and worry getting to her. Frederick dismounted his horse from the wagon and jumped aboard it, the animal already galloping off to the direction of the smoke. Lissa grabbed her axe, staves, and darted after the knight, leaving Chrom behind for a moment. He then turned to the startled pair, trying to give them a look of reassurance. "I promise you two we'll be back!" With that, the man drew out his sword and chased off after the others.

"…_B-but, what about— hey, um, Bleu right? Are you…" "Thinking what… you're thinking, Rouge? M-maybe…"_

Managing to somehow crawl themselves out of the wagon and painfully landing on the ground, the two made their way towards the disaster, taking a few weapons out of the wagon with them.

* * *

Chrom just could not believe this entire ordeal; brigands had indeed come and ransacked this town utterly; broken crates and carts were strewn about the streets, shattered windows were in every building, and a good deal of buildings were burnt down to the ground from the fires. Gritting his teeth, he tried to spot any of the hooligans, and he promptly frowned when he laid eyes upon several of them still lingering and causing further destruction; swordmasters and assassins were busy trashing anything that was remotely wooden, the berserkers and warriors had stooped to breaking into places looking for loot, and the sages and dark knights there were blasting magic into various buildings setting them on fire from within, all of them doing this with sadistic smiles plastered on their faces. Looking around to find their leader he spotted a portly man standing at the end of a bridge, hovering lecherously over a ravaged village maiden with his junk exposed to the world.

"_Gya ha ha har!"_ bellowed the man. "Get to it lads; grab everything shiny and put the rest to the torch! We gots an example to set for these Ylissean types, ain't that right lass?"

"Y-you stay away from me!" she whimpered, backing away from the advancing man. "Please, Someone! _HEEEEEELP!_"

"You!" Chrom called out to him, getting the attention of everyone within earshot. "Step away from the maiden scumbag!"

"Huh? Well lookie here fellas, if it ain't the goody-goody Shepherds! What an honor to finally meet ya… NOT!" The man howled in laughter, with his pack of goons doing the same. "Alright boys, y'all know the routine: let no one stand in our way! You take someone down, you make sure they STAY down!"

"Not if we take YOU down first!" Lissa spoke, gripping her axe like no tomorrow.

"Exactly Lissa—after today, these bandits won't be bothering anyone ever again—"

"_Stop!"_ The voices brought all eyes on the newcomers, and they were oddly familiar to Chrom. In fact, they sounded like…

"_R-Rouge? Bleu?_ Why did you two follow us out here?!" Chrom was not exactly in the mood to have two heavily injured people in the middle of a skirmish.

"_Don't—don't do this! Please!"_ That's when Chrom noticed they weren't talking to him, but rather the brigands. _"You don't have to… cause innocent people problems like this… please, just stop…" "We don't want to… have to hurt anyone, but we will if we have to…"_

"Awww, look at the little sheepies begging us to play nice or else. What do you boys say? Think we can keep it 'friendly?'" The other bandits looked like they were actually agreeing for a moment, then "Nah'ed" unanimously afterwards. "It seems they don't want to. _Too bad~"_

"Rouge, Bleu, get out of here while you still can!"

"_W-wait, we know how to fight… if you'll *cough* if you'll have us…"_

"_No!_ Absolutely not! I want you two to find somewhere safe right now while we—"

"_Rrraaaaaaaahhhhhh!"_ With feral a battle cry, one of the bandits charged at the two, brandishing his killer axe.

"Guys, DODGE!" they didn't seem to hear him, as they stood right in the path of the oncoming berserker. "NO!"

"I can't watch!" Lissa said, covering her eyes to shield herself from witnessing her new friends' deaths. Then it happened; a slicing and a blood spitting sound was heard, but the anguished cries from Chrom never came. Half curious, Lissa peeked from her fingers and found a shocking sight; it wasn't Bleu or Rouge getting hacked up, but rather the foolhardy bandit that charged straight into their large blades, his arms still suspended in the air and axe gripped tightly in his hands.

"_No one… hurts innocents" "…while we're around…"_ The two ripped their weapons from the enemy's body, causing him to drop his weapon and drop to the ground dead. _"Now… we'll—we'll spare you… if you promise never to cause trouble again…"_ The bandits looked at them in surprise, as did Chrom and his group. That didn't stop an assassin in the shadows from preparing to fire at arrow at their heads. But that too was stopped short when the pair pulled out tomes and cast a vicious lightning spell his direction, eliciting an explosion and a dying scream of agony to ring out from him.

While everyone saw the explosion, only the bandit leader saw who caused it, standing there flabbergasted and slightly terrified. "How did… oh never mind, get into 'yer battle positions!"

Seeing the bandits scramble around and station themselves, Chrom was starting to become nervous at the horde converging and ready to kill. "Okay, you've convinced me that you can fight. But I want you both to stay CLOSE to me, understand?"

"_Of course, Chrom…"_ the two amnesiacs replied, standing by Chrom's sides. Lissa hurried on over to them, axe ready in hand and staves attached to her gown. "We'll see who's delicate! I'm not as good as Chrom when it comes to fighting, but when you get injured? I'LL be the one stitching your bones back together, care of my trusty staves! Or at least, I would be, if they would work on you guys…hmmm…"

"It's okay Lissa, you tried." Chrom consoled, half laughing at Lissa's predicament. "Regardless, any healing tonic should do the trick.

"Actually Chrom, I tried that idea out too and they wouldn't work either…"

"…Bleu, Rouge, try not to get hit okay?"

"_No need to… tell us twice…"_

"Milord, milady, I bring grim news" Frederick drolled out as he arrived. "More than half of the town's population has been wiped out, reportedly by these same brigands. And… Bleu? Rouge? I had believed that you were still in the wagon."

"They came along to help." Chrom added. "And while I greatly appreciate it, I want them to be as careful as they can since nothing we have on us can heal them."

"That is most vexing, but you need not worry much milord. I will do everything in my power to ensure their safety. Needless to say, there is one thing that must be emphasized to all, especially you two: we face practiced thieves and murderers. They will grant us no quarter; it's kill or be killed."

"Exactly. If we're all ready, then let's put these bastards down for good!" Beholding the force he's assembled preparing themselves, he snuck a quick glance at the two newcomers. _'Hmmm, now that I look at them properly, they almost look familiar…"_

* * *

Minor Update (March 19th 2014, 4:35 p.m.): Just fixed the wording slightly and some grammatical errors; I happen to be a bit of a Grammar Nazi/Perfectionist, so now you know in advance if I take quite long with the next chapter.


	2. Prologue: The Verge of History Part 2

Author's Notes: Alrighty people, this is the second part of the Prologue chapter in Awakening. This story will follow a certain format for some chapters, especially the main ones; the first part of the ingame chapters will be broken up into two parts at the least (or three), the first will be heavily pre-battle dialogue based while the second and so will be battle based, and the last will be post-battle based. Some chapters will be centered around other characters or specifically the interactions between them (but I _may_ post another story with the supports between each character). Also, in case anyone asks, the reason that the tacticians are speaking the way they are is for obvious reasons: being in intense pain and partial grogginess from some earlier attack and suffering amnesia _will_ have one struggling to catch their breath and form coherent words. That and slowly dying will also do that to you. Without further ado, it's disclaimer time.

The following is a nonprofit fan based work. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon-Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. _**Warning:**_ this Fan-Fiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and (Constructive) Review at your own discretion.

* * *

Prologue: The Verge of History Part 2

* * *

Scanning the town, Bleu and Rouge took some time to try and remember what they knew about combat; while the memories of their personal life weren't coming up, battle knowledge was slowly coming up to the surface. Alas, the memory was cut short by Chrom speaking to them.

"So, I see you both carry large swords. Are they— Wait, are those… tomes? I guess it's safe to say that you know magic huh?"

"_Y-yeah… _Chrom, behind you!_"_

"Wha—" A swordmaster was approaching him from the distance. Thinking quickly, he held Falchion out in front of him to block the incoming strike, only to miscalculate the direction of the swing and earn a gash deep in his right leg.

"Chrom!" Lissa ran up to the offending swordsman and swung right at his skull, bashing it in and felling him in a single stroke. The splattered blood and brain bits should've been traumatic for the young girl, but years of doctorial experience and executions she was volunteered for had her used to such gory sights and she quickly pulled out a staff. "Hold still Chrom." In nearly an instant, the large gash had closed up completely, and Chrom was able to stand up on his own two feet again.

"Thanks Lissa, I owe you one."

"Sure, sure, just pay attention next time!" And with that, she handed her brother an Elixir and headed off to exterminate another bandit.

"_Lissa, h-hold on! Berserker to your right!"_ Rouge managed to force out, Lissa stopped and true to the woman's word, a berserker had prepared to strike with his killer axe off in the distance. Before she could act Bleu issued out a short command. _"H-hit him with something… magical!"_

"Hey thanks!" Confirming the warning, Lissa took the order and fired out lightning from her axe, frying the foe where he stood without closing in on him. Chrom could only look at the white-haired duo in slight shock.

"You two are strategists? Heh, that's gonna come in real handy here."

"_I… I guess we are huh? Maybe we… we studied it somewhere."_ _"Yeah, it's like we can…_ 'see' _things…"_

This caught the man's attention real good this time, curious as to what they meant. "See things? What exactly can you see?"

"_W-well… we c-can see their strength for one, their weapon's dura-… durability and power, how things will flow in combat facing against specific… units…"_

This was definitely groundbreaking news to Chrom and apparently the other Shepherds nearby, as even Frederick had stopped in the midst of impaling a sage with his silver lance to hear them out. "Wow, it's like you can size up the enemy at a mere glance. That's just incredible."

"_N-not just the enemy, but also ourselves and each other… like you for example, Chrom…"_

"Wait, even me?"

"_Yeah. For example, y-you're better in handling a sword than a… a lance. And it seems that 'Falchion' is your preferred weapon…"_

"…That's… I don't know how to respond to that. In any case, I'm really glad you two are on our side, even if it's just for now at least."

"_Don't worry Chrom, we won't… turn on you. You're a… a really nice young man…"_ _"Yeah, and b-brave…"_ Rouge and Bleu assured him with sweet smiles, causing the man's face to heat up a few shades. Lissa tried to hold in her laughter while Frederick simply rolled his eyes, finishing off the sage still on his lance.

"U-um… thank you, I—"

"_W-wait, hold that thought…" _Forcing themselves to reality the two tacticians spotted a warrior coming up from inside a building. Before he could even congratulate himself for the new loot he acquired he found himself with swords buried in his chest and angered eyes glaring at him through his visor. The thief hit the ground hard and dropped the goods he was carrying. _"There; serves this... vulture right. Well, time to see what he st-stole..."_ Bending forward they took a look at the now deceased bandit's loot: a rather ornate chest made of a purple wood and gold still had a large key inside it, the key itself made of gold and amethyst encrusted. Before either could twist the key, galloping was heard from behind their spot; assuming it to be a dark knight they pulled out their own tomes and spun to fry the bandit only to find Frederick atop his mare.

"At ease, 'tis only I."

_"...Oh, right. My apologies..."_ _"We... we assumed that you were a... a brigand coming up from behind..."_

"Already took care of him. By the way, do you wish for me to secure that chest you procured? I can swiftly take it to the cargo wagon you rode in and return for battle."

_"Might wanna... wait for that first..."_ Seeing that the bandits made to stir up more trouble they had to hold off on making trips until the offenders were gone. _"C-c'mon Frederick, llletsss..."_

Dismounting from his horse Frederick dashed up to the swooning pair and caught them from falling over. "Easy there, you're still not in warranted condition to be exerting too much force." Thinking, Frederick helped the dizzy duo over to and hoisted up onto his horse. "You two need her moreso than I do right now. And I think to be able to hold on to this chest for you." Before they could protest, the knight assured them that he's perfectly capable of fighting on foot and while holding something under one arm. They felt content upon hearing his words but dared not fall asleep in the middle of battle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lissa had seemed to take a near vindictive approach to the bandits, felling them left and right either by bludgeoning or blasting them dead with lightning. Chrom took notice of her behavior and came up to her to see if she was fine. "Lissa, I appreciate you helping out, but aren't you taking this a little too personal?"

"No. I'm. Fine. Chrom. Really!" Half listening, Lissa was tearing through the enemies; Chrom was doing the same but not as forceful as his younger kin and with more precision.

"Lissa, seriously, I know I said we're putting these guys down, but—"

After frying another foolish assassin, Lissa turned to face her brother with a face that nearly had him questioning who this new person was. "Chrom, look at me. I may be fifteen, but I'm not a little kid anymore, and you know that. I can handle splitting open some skulls if I need to, I do it practically every other Thursday."

"That's… not what I meant… don't you at least feel bad for this?"

"_Chrom_… you're not about to tell me to take it easy on these guys are you?"

The man just did not like what he was hearing or seeing. Was his baby sister turning into what he thought she was? He had to put a stop to her behavior before it got to her. "Listen to me, I—"

"No, _you_ listen. I may be bashing and zapping them into little itty bitty pieces, but at least I'm killing them in one blow unlike you."

"Do you really think this justifies this… this merciless _manslaughter?!_ I—"

This caused something in the little cleric to snap. "_Gods_ Chrom, listen to how you sound right now! You're chastising ME for brutally killing these bandits, yet I don't see YOU batting an eye for every bandit head that rolls on the ground because of YOU!" Lissa had took a dangerous step towards her brother, causing cold fear to knot up in his stomach as she accused him. "Count how many strikes it takes for me to kill someone and for you to do the same, and THEN tell me I'm being merciless! I'm not trying to be skillful, and I'm not trying to make them suffer; I'm just trying to kill them as quick as possible. _You?_ You take every opportunity to beat it into their head that they stand no chance, to show how skilled you are compared to them, to tell them that they are completely, utterly, _fucked._"

'_WHAT THE HELL?!'_ Eyes growing as wide as they could, Chrom reeled and backed away from Lissa as she spat out that last word; he never heard Lissa cuss in his entire life and she was making accurate and venomous accusations towards him, all while adopting a completely different persona. "I… I… L-Lissa, I didn't mean to impl—"

"Tell me Chrom…" Lissa interrupted again as a dark knight had approached them with a sword. Quickly taking a jump and swinging her axe to decapitate the man behind, Lissa touched the ground without sticking the landing and looking dead into Chrom's eyes and speaking in a dark tone. A little blood spraying from the dead knight's neck onto her only made her seem that more intimidating "Did that look like manslaughter to you?"

"…no… no it didn't…"

"Thank you. And besides, these bandits have viciously murdered numerous innocents without any sort of remorse, so why should I feel guilty for killing them the way I do? I won't stoop to their level, so I'll just end them as quick as I possibly can. Now if you don't mind we have brigands to execute." The cold gaze never leaving her, Lissa turned her back to Chrom and went off to slay more of the brigands, leaving Chrom in a state of disbelief and a slight sadness tugging at him.

'…_How did I not notice her change this much? She completely pulled a 180 from what I know her to be like. And now, she's just emptied out her heart and swore to kill every bandit here in the bloodiest and swiftest way possible, all the while being _fifteenyearsold_… Gods, what happened to her to make her grow up so fast? Was it because we volunteered her for executions, her being a doctor for nearly 5 years? What—'_

"_Are you… are you still with us, Chrom?"_ a voice called out, getting his attention. It was Bleu along with Rouge and Frederick looking on with concerned expressions. Apparently they saw the siblings argue, the culmination being Lissa telling him off.

"…I… I should be fine… after all, she's a smart and… strong girl… we should get going now." The distraught man slowly shuffled off to find the hidden bandit leader and catch up to his sister, still rattled from Lissa's speech and dragging his sword along the ground. The others hoped that this wouldn't be the start of a cracking relationship.

* * *

Ten minutes later the burning south town had been completely purged of the bandits, courtesy of the Shepherds and the two tacticians. The bandit leader had yet to hear from any of his scouts and he was starting to get worried; while he did disappear in the thick of the battle when his men took up formation, he felt it was only a matter of time until the Shepherds caught up to him. He wouldn't violate the maiden he kidnapped until he was certain the Shepherds were dead, as they could easily take him down while he was distracted. Turning to his bound hostage, he gave one rather toothy grin before he grabbed his short axe and prepared to face off with the inevitable.

"Are you sure he went this way?" Lissa asked Frederick, traces of her previous demeanor completely gone. He seemed to acknowledge the change in her personality and promptly acted accordingly.

"According to some of the surviving guards we posted here, they spotted a shaggy man with a tied up maiden pass by here who threatened to murder her if they pursued him. Leave it to some unruly brigand to weave through some back alley for his escape."

"_The… craven…"_

"Precisely Bleu. What manner of monster would kidnap a defenseless innocent and threaten to murder them to ensure their own leave? All the more reason to put him down for good, is that not right milord? ... milord?"

Chrom was too distracted to hear Frederick, his mind focused on what had happened earlier. Why did it bother him so much he thought to himself.

'_Because your _little sister_ basically called you a cold blooded murderer and she's _right_…'_ a voice in his head sneered to him. This voice sounded like his own, only more malicious.

'…_Shut your ass you goddamned—'_

"_Ch-Chrom? … Chrom!"_ Rouge called out, snapping the man out of his thoughts.

"Hu-wha? What's going on? Are we under attack?! Wh—"

"Peace milord, we were simply worried about you."

"I'm… I'm fine…"

"No, you're not… Chrom, did I…"

"Don't. Just please don't Lissa. I know that you didn't mean any real harm and I…"

Deathly silence took over the air for the second time that day, with no one really attempting to break it. No one except for the asshole in hiding.

"_Gya_ ha ha _har!_" Leaping out from in between two buildings the bandit put on his most intimidating face and maniacally waved his short axe before the group. "Here sheepy sheepy, _come to the slaughter~!_" Lunging at the nearest target, he swung his axe aimed at Lissa's head. Being smaller and faster than the man she dodged it with ease, only to get kicked in the ribs by the underhanded berserker. Landing on her iron gown wasn't exactly fun for her, having hit her leg against it pretty hard when she fell. Thankfully, Frederick was there to lend her an arm. Chrom meanwhile, was busy glaring at the man who started this entire situation.

"You!" Chrom called him for the second time. "Who are you exactly and what have you done with the maiden?!"

"Me? Name's Garrick your lordliness." The bandit responded with a mock bow. "And in case you couldn't tell I'm the noble leader of these here bandits. Or what's left 'a them."

"_S-so, you're the… the scumbag who kidnapped that girl…"_ Rouge growled out, sounding slurred yet feral. Garrick turned to the amnesiac woman and for the second time that day, a creeping fear was settling in him.

'_That's that bitch that killed two 'a mah men without flinchin'… and I see 'er bastard cohort with 'er. They don't look like much fer fightin' any time soon… perfect! I can take 'em both out at once!'_ "So, you that woman that killed one 'a mah assassins with that lightnin' bolt spell eh? Pretty impressive fer a street wench."

"_H-hey, back off, you…"_ Bleu bit out, not wanting to tolerate this man's insults towards his fellow amnesiac.

"Oh, and I see 'yer partner in crime wicha too. How 'bout it, you two against lil' ol' me? Hey, I'll even fight 'ya with mah bare hands! Whadda 'ya say, _'tacticians'?_"

"Guys, don't do it, it's obviously a—"

"_F-fine…"_ _"We'll… we'll fight you, you bastard… without any weapons either…"_ Chrom's warning was ignored; he could tell from the way the two tacticians glared at Garrick, with a clear intention to seriously maim this man. They then slowly slid off of Frederick's horse and held up their fists. Slowly, they stood into battle positions, ready to square off with the berserker circling around them.

"Finally decided to grow some fleece on yer balls eh sheepies?"

"_H-hah! We've got… more wool in our c-crotches… than you do~…"_ The remark caught the fighters off guard coming from Rouge, but Garrick just laughed it off.

"_Do you now?!_ Well c'mon then sheep, _come at me!_"

Roaring in their most possibly rage filled manner, the two tacticians charged at the man who prepared to block, only to have dirty water kicked into their eyes.

"Bleu, Rouge! Don't worry, I'm coming for—"

"_N-… no Chrom! This is… this is our fight!"_

"Look at you two! He just blinded you two and you want to—"

"_Time to get sheared!"_ Garrick roared out. Pulling out his hidden short axe he rushed towards the two suckers, ready to cut them into fine slices of meat.

"Hold on guys! I'll protect you!" Chrom pulled out Falchion and lunged at their spot hoping to get to them before Garrick did. He realized that he was too slow however, and he planned on throwing his sword to intercept the bandit. The moment the bandit begun to swing his axe at them, Chrom had Falchion at his back and ready to toss it. He never got his chance, and neither did Garrick; despite their injuries, Bleu and Rouge had performed a rolling maneuver and placed themselves behind the bigger man the moment he swung at them.

"What the? Where'd them gutter rats go?!"

"_Right behind you…"_ the voices called out at the same time, murderous intent dripping from their voices. Before the man could turn around, he felt the blades already dig into his body, one in his neck and the other in his hips. He knew he was done for at this point, but the tacticians decided to emphasize that point in his ears before he died. _"Did you… really think we couldn't see you… without our eyes?" "Or that we'd… fall for your trap?"_

'_They tricked him…'_ Chrom thought. Seeing the panicked expression of Garrick confirmed to him that the man was screwed. The next second wasn't exactly pretty for the bandit.

"_We'll see you…"_ _"…on the other side…"_ With their final message, the tacticians pulled their swords from their positions across each other with a vicious force, dissecting the man into a head, torso, and legs. The head had rolled into a nearby gutter, blocking the dirty water flow and into a nest of rats, all of whom proceeded to feast on it. The rest of the body simply lay limp in the street, untouched by the vermin a yard away except for the junk in the pants. Looking at the corpse and to their new shocked friends, goofy smiles was plastered across the duo's faces. _"See… T-told you we… coullddd ddooooo iiiittttttt…"_ Those were their last words before they collapsed, right on top of the dead body in the middle of the alley.

"Guys, GUYS!" Chrom ran right up to them trying to pick them up from the ground and shake them back awake, but to no avail. "No… no, no, no, no! C'mon, not you two! Open your eyes! OPEN YOUR EYES!" None of the rapid body shaking and frantic screaming could wake up the two, Chrom was silently praying that they hadn't just died early. _'Oh gods, _oh gods…_ please, not them Naga. Please don't take them like this… _please…_'_ The man clutched them as hard as he could, as if afraid that they'll disappear if he let go. The other two were left speechless at how these two complete strangers had somehow become special to their leader. They sincerely hoped this wasn't truly the end for their new friends.


	3. Prologue: The Verge of History Finale

Author's Notes: The third and final part of the Prologue chapter is finally up. With this chapter coming to an end I feel the need to stress one crucial detail that I forgot to mention: character portrayals will either be slightly different or drastically altered to some degree (as you may have read with the previous chapter concerning Chrom and Lissa). I will also include OC's (original characters) in this story just to give you fair warning; their role here I will not expand upon now but they will hold a level of importance, which is not enough to overtake the NC's (native characters) but enough as to not end up as minor characters. For those of you who played the whole game up to the very last chapter and believe this story will follow the game to a T, think again. The overall plot will definitely be different in some areas so prepare yourself. Now, it is time for our favorite part of this section: the disclaimer!

The following is a nonprofit fan based work. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon-Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this Fan-Fiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and (Constructive) Review at your own discretion.

* * *

Prologue: The Verge of History Finale

* * *

Utter darkness had surrounded the white-haired man, embracing him in its emptiness when he came to. This atmosphere itself wasn't exactly familiar to the man, but there was something about the darkness that struck him, as if it was calling out to him. Standing up to look around, he noticed that he didn't have any of the numerous cuts that laced all over him, nor did he seem to have a horrible migraine anymore. Confused out of his mind, he figured that he may be within his own subconscious.

"Um, hello?" Bleu called out, trying to see if he was alone. "Is anyone else out there?" No response came to him, at least, not one that he was expecting.

"_Uuurrrggghhhh…"_

Turning to his side, he spotted a familiar figure a few feet away. "R-Rouge? Is that really her?" Not entirely sure he reached for a tome on his sides, only to find that he was unarmed. _'Crap'_ He knew that if this person was hostile he'd have to duke it out.

The woman rolled over onto her back before sitting up, showing that she had no bleeding gashes on her either, yet wore the same coat and armor Bleu did (to a degree) and was revealed to share his white hair when her hood came down. "Agh, my aching… Bleu? What's… what's going on here?" The woman stared into the man's red eyes with her own, trying to get a sense of their current situation.

"Honestly, I thought I was in my subconscious, but it seems I was wrong if you're here." Her knowing him and being just as lost as he was confirmed that it was indeed her. "Well, now that I know it's you, I'm starting to wonder where the others are."

"You mean Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick? Yeah, I'm a little worried about them right now; I hope that they didn't get ambushed or anything…"

"…Me too… come on, we won't figure anything out if we're just standing here." Walking over to the woman he offered his hand to her, which she accepted. Before they could get to going anywhere a ghastly voice rang out in the darkness.

"…_rrrooooobbiiinnnn…."_

Spines instantly freezing over, the lost pair looked at each other believing that the other had emitted that chilling sound; they were proven wrong a mere second later.

"…_rrrrrrooooooobbbbiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn…."_

"Wh-who's out there?" Bleu asked, running up to embrace Rouge as she did the same. "Is… is that you Chrom? Lissa? … Frederick?"

"_Thhheeeyyyy aarrree nnooottt heeerrrreeee…"_

"Then who is this?" Rouge asked, her and Bleu holding on to each other as tight as they could, frantically looking around to find the voice's source.

"_Mmmyyy iiddeennnttiittyyy iissss nnooottt iimmmppooooorrrttaaaaannnnnttt… fffoooorrrr nnnoowww…"_ The manner this mysterious entity's voice had seemed to echo and vibrate all around the pair only served to intensify the fear in their guts. _"JJuuuusssssttt kkknnnoooooowww tthhaaaaatttt yyyyoooouuuu cccaaannnnnnnnooootttt dddiiiiieeee hheeeerrrreee… nnnooooottttt yyyeeeettttt…"_

"…_Just what are you?"_ Bleu and Rouge were now terrified out of their wits, trying to come up with a conclusion as to what this being was.

"_Aaa mmmeeeerrrreeee gguuuuiiiidddeee… aaannndd yyooouuurrrr sssaaavvviiioooouuuuurrrr… tthhheeee wwoooorrrrlllldddd nnneeedddsss yyooouuu, sssoooo Iiiii wwwiiilllll kkkeeeeppppp yooouuuu aaaalllliiiiiivvveee… yyyoooouuu mmmuuusssttt ffuuuulllllffffiiilllll yyyoooouuuurrrr dddeeesssttiinnniiieeesss…"_

"…And what would they be?"

"_Aaalllll wiillll bbbeeee rrreevveeeeaaalllleeeddd iinnn dduuuee ttttiiiiiimmmmeee… ffffoooorrr nnooowww, Iiii mmmuuuussstttt llleeeeaaavvvve yyyoooouuuu…"_

"Hey, hold on!" Just as the voice left them, the two individuals started to feel a familiar dizziness setting in. _"What's… what's happenniinnggg… ttooo uussssss…"_ For the second time that day the tacticians collapsed onto the ground they stood upon as everything faded into darkness…

* * *

"Remarkable…" an unknown voice called out. "Their wounds… they just, completely healed own their own…"

"Phew, that's REALLY good news!" a familiar feminine voice called out."

"Perhaps the body could only heal while in the mind was in an unconscious state." a stoic voice had said."

"Perhaps, perhaps… in either case they are really rare cases of this ever happening to anyone. Only a few people were blessed with the ability to heal on their own without any aid from staves or healing tonics."

"…wait, I think they're starting to come to…" a third voice called out.

Everyone's attention was directed to the unconscious pair, who were slowly beginning to open their eyes. The first sight they beheld was that of Chrom's face, staring at them with a hopeful expression. _"…C-Chrom?"_ _"Is that… you?"_

His face immediately lighting up, the man quickly grabbed them in a tight bear hug, nearly crushing them. "Good Gods, you're alright! I thought you two were goners!" The moment he released them his face morphed into a dark expression. "I swear I will KILL you if you ever try something like that again. You two were in extremely critical condition and you… you…"

"Aw relax bro, at least they knew what they were doing, and we happened to be in the town before too much damage was done. I mean holy WOW, you two were incredible! Swords, sorcery, AND tactics?! What else are you hiding up those sleeves of yours huh?!" Lissa was absolutely ecstatic at the two's display of prowess during the skirmish.

"*sigh* you're certainly far from completely helpless at the least."

"Indeed. This was a boon for us and yourselves… I mean not to be intruding, but have any of your memories come back to you yet?" Frederick was grateful that they had not died on them, but something about all of this had struck him as extremely odd. He watched the faces of the duo to find anything that would come off as suspicious, but he found nothing.

"…no… not really" they sadly remarked. They were about to tell their fellow travelers about the strange encounter they had until a voice from earlier spoke up.

"I mean not to interrupt my good lords and lady or to be rude, but who exactly are these two? You seem to know them decently enough."

"We actually found them collapsed out in a field further south from here." Chrom responded to the curious sage.

"…I see... it does me well to hear that you are as virtuous as the townsfolk say you are. In any case, you two are in perfect condition now, at least physically. You're apparent memory loss has not been alleviated has it?"

The duo noticed the sage's eyes right on them, making them feel a bit uncomfortable being focused on. "No… we won't let it get to us though. We'll get them back soon, I'm sure of it."

"That's good to hear. Now then, you all said you were headed off to the capital?"

"Yeah, it shouldn't be far from here."

"You may wish to depart at once and relay today's events to the Exalt. She'll likely wish to hear of the bandit problem we're having."

"Yeah, she will." Chrom agreed. "In any case, we're glad to hear that you two have healed completely."

"Really? That's nice to hear; thank you sir for your help"

The sage was caught off guard by the compliment and turned to look at Chrom as if saying 'should I tell them'. The look was returned but the man just smiled, secretly telling him not to. "You are very welcome. Now, off you all go." he mock shooed them. "I have important meetings to attend to if you don't dreadfully mind."

"Fine, fine, we're going. C'mon guys, let's leave the doctor be."

* * *

Making a few quick goodbyes and bowing gestures, the Shepherds departed the building. Within minutes they managed to restock on items and weapons and headed off to their wagon. Lissa was complaining about not staying for the night considering how dark it was, only to be chided by the other men who used her own words of 'getting used to it all' against her.

"Alright folks, off to Ylisstol! Frederick, lead the way."

"As you command milord. By the way Bleu and Rouge," Frederick said, tossing a familiar looking chest to them. "I kept this for you to open when you had the chance."

"_Ooh_, is it treasure? Is it something cool?"

"Calm down milady, you'll get the chance to see it when they open it."

"A chest huh? When'd they get it?"

"From a brigand they felled earlier milord. I felt as the ones who procured it from the bandit that it belonged to them."

Looking from Frederick on his horse to the small object in between them, the saw the key was still inside. Twisting it open, they found two large, ornate daggers inside of it, both of which bearing ancient inscriptions on them.

"Well, what are they? C'mon, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"It's… it's two knives in here."

"Heh, one for each of you huh?" Chrom pointed out.

"Can I see what they look like, _please?_"

The tacticians looked at Chrom from inside the cargo seats, asking if she was allowed. Once they got the confirming grin, they turned to an excited Lissa.

"Sure, but eyes only." Pulling out the weapons from inside, the pair held each one in their own hands.

"Woah, they look so cool!"

"Indeed. They must've belonged to someone wealthy before they were pilfered."

"In any case, they belong to you now."

"Thanks Frederick. We'll promise to take good care of them." Looking at the sunlight gleam off of the daggers, they knew they never would've gotten such nice looking weapon if Chrom and his gang had left them out in the wild, or possibly even get help. "Seriously guys, we owe you one."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Just getting you guys to safety is enough."

"Yes, but, you guys were the ones who found us. How about we keep traveling with you guys?"

"Why, so you can collect more stuff?"

"Wha—no that's not it Chrom!"

"I know, I know. I was just kidding; in any case, welcome aboard the 'Shepherd Train'."

"Thanks guys."

"You're welcome."

Looking out at the horizon, the two amnesiacs felt that they could get used to hanging out with this group. It felt as if they belonged with these people, yet despite all this, something in the back of their heads bugged them.

_You must fulfill your destinies…_

What exactly was their destinies? Would it be a good thing or not? And who exactly was this 'guide'? They figured that they'll have all their answers soon enough. For now, they just wanted to bask in the setting sun at their newfound friendship.

* * *

End of Chapter Notes: Welp, that's it for the Prologue. I wanted it to be a bit shorter than the previous chapters being a post battle chapter and all. The next chapter will be the first official one in Awakening: An Unwelcome Change. I'm still on the fence as to how exactly to work the supports in the story, but I'll come up with something. I only intended for the two tacticians to remain in that damaged state up until the end of the Prologue, and boy are they in for one hell of a ride. In any case stay tuned for the next chapter of Fire Emblem Re-Awakening! This is Blue Sun Studios signing off the air!


	4. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Part 1

Author's Notes: What time is it? Time for the next chapter in this saga, which I will dub as "The Mad King's War". This saga will possibly feature the most changes to it compared to the ones after it, including the identity of a certain swordsman that will show up in this chapter and the arrival of my aforementioned OC's. Not much else to say here, so let's get this disclaimer out of the way.

The following is a nonprofit fan based work. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon-Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this Fan-Fiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and (Constructive) Review at your own discretion.

* * *

Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Part 1

* * *

"...Say it." Lissa told Chrom for the umpteenth time.

"Go screw yourself Lissa…" the man growled out, annoyed beyond belief at this point. His sister however, was not about to let up on it.

"Say it, and I might just grant your wish big bro."

"She's not serious is she?" Bleu whispered to Frederick, worried about the sibling pair. The knight just shrugged in return.

"*sigh* to be perfectly honest I'm not entirely sure myself. Those two could easily be mistaken for the next Renais Twins Ephraim and Eirika: insufferable yet inseparable towards each other."

"You're really going to pester me about this all the rest of the night aren't you?"

"Hey, I'M the one who told you it was starting to get dark, but no-ho-ho, YOU just had to 'tough it out like a man' and suggest we camp out in the woods like this. I NEED to hear this."

Losing his patience, Chrom finally snapped at being proven wrong by his little sister yet again. "Gods, FINE! YOU. WERE. RIGHT!"

"See, that wasn't too hard now was it?"

"rrrrghh…"

* * *

The group had been traveling in a forest for quite some time, and needless to say it wasn't exactly a pleasant trip. Chrom had insisted that they camp out in the woods, part of the reason was to teach Lissa about how to live off of the land if the situation ever called for it. He quickly found himself wishing that he had listened to her when she suggested staying in an inn; getting attacked by five bears in a row and falling into pit-traps was not fun for him or the others at all. Finally coming across an abandoned fortress in the forest, he immediately decided that it would be their sleeping spot.

"We're too far out from any town to get a room there, and it's starting to get especially dark out here. This is quite possibly the only suitable replacement."

"Is it usually this dark out at night Chrom?" Rouge asked. She didn't want it to sound childish or ignorant, but it seemed to be darker than usual.

"It is not usually this dark by this time of day. Legend has it that if the night sky is truly black as it is now, it is an omen that a terrible catastrophe shall soon be upon the world. Such an event has only ever happened once, but one can never be too sure."

"Really Frederick?" Lissa asked. She was somewhat well versed in legends and mythology, but she hadn't heard of such a tale.

"It is a Plegian passage from their weather archives. I happened to own such a book before…"

"…before… what happened?" Bleu and Rouge had a feeling that this was related to that dark past Frederick had mentioned. While no one told them what it was exactly, they knew that it wasn't pretty.

"…before the wa—"

Before Frederick could finish his sentence, a loud voice had rang out from the eastward trees. "Hey-oh guys! Fancy meeting you all out here!"

"Huh? Is that…" Chrom turned around to see a paladin atop a white horse, both clad in bright red armor that could be seen despite the deep darkness of the night. Their features couldn't be seen too clearly, but he could tell who it was when he caught view of their red hair. "Sully? Well I'll be damned, how'd you find us out here?" Quickly getting up from his sitting position he walked over to bro hug the woman who returned it in kind after jumping off of her horse.

"Simple: wagon trails in the dirt don't haf'ta be lit up to see 'em when they're deep in the ground. That, and I visited a town that told me you headed back to the capital."

"Well that's a good thing. You finished your patrols as well?"

"Yup; some brigands thought they could pick me apart like some buildin' blocks, the poor bastards got little more than my lance up their collective asses."

"Hah! Guess they thought a woman was an easy target; apparently they didn't know you!"

"Damn straight they didn't!"

Sharing a hearty laugh with each other, they were interrupted by another new voice from behind them. "Beautiful as a flower, yet as deadly as a tiger; 'tis these factors that sums up our fair Sully after all."

"…oh yeah, Virion's with me too." Sully didn't exactly seem fond of the cyan-haired sniper. Chrom merely chuckled at the plain dislike she had towards him.

"Hello there Virion, I trust things went well for you during your patrols as well?"

"Without nary a single ruffian to stir up the poor village residents I was without a single—"

"_Get to the fuckin' point!"_ Sully snapped, fed up with the man's speech habits.

"…everything was under control my good sir…"

"Thank you Virion. No offense, but when I ask for details just give them to me instead of coming up with a heroic speech okay?"

"*sigh* very well. If my lord commands it I shall oblige."

Sully and Virion made their way over to the other Shepherds, giving them warm greetings. Bleu and Rouge almost felt left out when they were excluded from the conversations, which was until Sully noticed them.

"Say Chrom, who're the newbies right here?"

"Hmm? Oh, my apologies, I should've introduced you two earlier."

"Eh, it's not too big of a deal Chrom." Bleu shrugged off. Chrom was glad to see that they still had their rather laid back personality.

"Alright then, these two are our newest travelers, Bleu and Rouge. Bleu is the man while Rouge is the woman, courtesy of Lissa naming them. We found them collapsed out in a field and got them to a medic."

"Huh, that's interestin'."

"Yeah! You should've been there to see it; they were just awesome helping us clear out the bandits, especially their leader!"

"These two are apparently adept tacticians who, despite their quite horrid injuries during the skirmish, were able to vanquish quite a number of the brigands without too much aid. They even fooled the bandit leader into planning to sabotage them while appearing to be foolhardy."

"'Zat so?" Sully asked, now sporting a feral grin on her face, directing it right at the now blushing pair. "Well then, Im'ma haf'ta test this out myself once we get back."

"Try not to kill them Sully." Chrom joked, half worried that she'll seriously injure the duo.

"Ah, I won't. I'll probably rough 'em up enough that they won't wanna sit for weeks though. Ha har!"

"In any case," Virion added, "it is quite the honor of having such talented masterminds within your ranks. I've no doubt they'd make brilliant addition to your forces."

"That's IF they want to. We may have found them out in the wild and got them help, but that doesn't—"

"We'd be more than honored to serve alongside you Chrom," Rouge stated, "right Bleu?"

"Of course Rouge. In fact, those are the very reasons we're going with you."

"Okay then. In that case, you are _officially_ welcomed aboard the 'Shepherd's Train'."

"Would a wagon suit the name better? After all, trains are hardly in the development stage as of now."

"Nah, 'train' just sounds better in my opinion."

"Welp, since you two are 'officially' in, nice ta meet 'ya." Sully held out her hand for the two to shake, which they did.

"Nice to meet you too Sully." "We can't wait to see you in action."

"Oh-ho, do you now? Well then, Im'ma give 'ya'll somethin' to work towards."

"And I find it pleasurable to have made your acquaintances fair tacticians."

"And it's nice to meet you too Virion." "We also have to thank you for teaching Lissa how to come up with our wonderful names."

"Ah, I see my pupil has given you Rosanese names; I find that delightful, but I am curious about your true names."

"Uh… we don't know actually…"

This caused Sully to give them a once over upon hearing this. "'Ya don't know your own names? How come?"

"They're amnesiacs." Lissa responded. "They don't remember anything about themselves, let alone how they ended up half dead in the grass."

"Well damn…"

"That is most troubling news…"

"We're not going to let it get us down though." "We'll figure out everything about ourselves soon enough."

The group talked about random topics to fill the silence in the air until growling was heard. Chrom was none too pleased. "Oh gods, not another bear…"

"We had to go through FIVE of them earlier! Why—"

"Sorry guys, that was us." Bleu apologized, "Say, anybody got anything to eat?"

The others looked amongst each other and winced. "Let me guess," Rouge asked, realization creeping into her, "Nobody brought any food for the night huh?"

"We could always hunt." Sully added. "'Sides, it's been too long since I've had bear."

"Ugh, are we REALLY going to eat bear meat? That stuff smells like old boots and— _**AUGH! WON GOPH IN MAH MOUPH?! BLECH! PTOOEY!**_" Lissa absolutely freaked out the moment a small bug happened to fly into her mouth.

"I'd tell you that's what you get for your smart, potty mouth earlier, but that's beneath me." Chrom did see this as payback from when she mouthed off to him back at the town.

"Why? What'd she say to you?" Sully never heard Lissa swear either, so she wanted to see what had happened. Chrom immediately went rigid upon hearing the question, not in any mood to bring up the incident.

"…_nothing important…"_ The words had refused to leave his mind, and every time they replayed in his head they stung him like an enraged hornet:

_You're chastising ME for brutally killing these bandits, yet I don't see YOU batting an eye for every bandit head that rolls on the ground because of YOU!_

_I'm not trying to be skillful, and I'm not trying to make them suffer; I'm just trying to kill them as quick as possible. _You?_ You take every opportunity to beat it into their head that they stand no chance, to show how skilled you are compared to them, to tell them that they are completely, utterly, _fucked_._

'…_Why is this still haunting me? I should have gotten over it and she even apologized for it, so why?'_

'_You're really asking a question already answered? Wow, you must _really_ be feeling like shit right now.'_

'_Go away…'_

'_Why, you can't stand hearing the truth little man? Life's like that, suck it up you little bitch.'_

'Fuck you…'

'_Tch, love you too toots.'_

* * *

The air became silent for a good minute, all eyes on the brooding man whose face grew harsher by the second. Sully decided to break the silence, awkwardly offering to hunt for food and dragging a protesting Virion along with her. The rest stayed behind and built a fire for the food to cook over. Still keeping quiet, Chrom kept up the debate inside his head with his more bitter side for the next fifteen minutes.

"Chrom, are you still bothered by that argument from earlier?" Bleu asked. Instead of trying to deny it, Chrom just came out and truthfully answered the group present, snorting derisively at himself.

"Yeah… Lissa, don't think that I'm mad at you, because I'm not. It's just that I'm having problems accepting what you told me back there. That and I'm currently bickering with myself in my head…"

'_Because you decided to be an ignorant hypocrite.'_

'…_you know what? For all I care you can suck my—'_

"Hey all, we're back with the food." Sully called out, alerting the four individuals by kicking the unhinged door open. Virion trailed behind her with a rather large animal in his grasp.

"So, goddesses and gentlemen, might I have your attention? We have managed to procure two fine beasts for tonight's feast."

"Both of which happen to be bear." Sully finished with a malicious smirk directed right at Lissa.

"Oh come on! You guys couldn't get a boar at least?"

"Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy." Frederick attempted to console Lissa, only for her to backfire the remark.

"Oh really now? Well then Frederick, since you're such a strong and brave knight, eating bear meat should be no problem for you right?"

"…er, well, I'm not exactly in a mood to… eat right now. I… had a rather large lunch earlier! So—"

"Yeah right, you're just being a total hypocrite right now!"

'_Sounds like someone I know, ain't that right _Chrom_?'_

The voice in his head was irritating him at the worst possible moment, and his expression change hadn't gone unnoticed by Bleu and Rouge. Seeing the normally calm man's eye twitch and a vein above it bulge while clenching his jaw was unsettling, as was his constant tightening and untightening of his fists.

"You okay Chrom? You look like you're pissed, and that ain't a good sign." Sully had not heard of Lissa's accusing speech aimed at him, and Chrom frankly looked like he was going to murder someone.

"If anything is troubling you," Virion added, "do tell; it is not a good thing if our lord is grappling against nefarious beasts of the mind."

"…I'll be fine. Promise… I'm not exactly in the mood to stay up and I'm not really hungry right now… so I guess I'll just turn in early." Chrom stood up and began to head into one of the deserted rooms in the fortress, only to be stopped by two hands on each of his shoulders.

"Chrom, what part about what Lissa said to you is bothering you?" "Tell us, I'm sure we can help you get past it."

"Seriously, can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"Please, I'm not—"

"Oh no you don't." "You're going to tell us what's up. We won't move until you do."

'_That's right Chrom, stop pussyfooting and grow some hair already.'_

"_Shut your goddamned mouth…"_

"_Excuse you?!"_ the duo snapped. Quickly realizing his mistake, Chrom tried to alleviate the situation.

"I-I didn't mean to say that to you, it's just…"

"Chrom, seriously, get a grip on yourself already!" Any patience the duo previously had was now evaporated and their faces had turned as red as their eyes.

'_Yeah you little punk.'_

"L-look! I didn't… please, let me explain!"

"Then start explaining already!"

"Yeah, I hate getting locked out the loop!"

"Is this issue bothering you so much milord? I—"

Chrom was now cornered by the other Shepherds, directing their focus on him while ignoring the now cooking meat, everyone but Lissa who sat back with worry written all over her face. Their voices as well as the person inside his head was driving him nuts, becoming too much for the man to handle and causing him to absolutely explode.

"GUYS, SERIOUSLY! Just—just stop, I can't take it anymore! Will you all just lay off?! Geez!"

"Chrom…" Rouge tried saying, rattled by the sudden outburst. "We're not… trying to make you mad. Just, please tell us what's bothering you so much. We're worried that you might be…"

"Losing my mind? I think I am."

'_You "think" you're losing it? You ARE losing it.'_

"…alright, sit down everyone and get comfortable, 'cause this is… going to take a bit… that's an order too…"

Almost immediately the rest scrambled to find a seat on the ground around the burning fire, trying not to make Chrom lose his cool. Even Lissa tore into her bear meat trying to calm her nerves and ease the guilt eating at her. Once Chrom got settled down, he cleared out his throat to prepare explaining to them. He was stopped short however, when Bleu spoke up.

"Wait, do you guys feel that?"

"F—feel what?" Lissa asked.

"Is it just me, or did everything just get darker than usual?" Rouge was certain that it wasn't this dark, even when Frederick noted it earlier.

"It is darker than what it was but a minute ago. This is quite odd."

Taking a quick moment to survey the area, the Shepherds had found that they're the only souls out here.

"…The hell? Where'd the animals go? I could've sworn there were more than a few birds out here."

"Pardon me my colleagues, but was the sky not filled with clouds a mere moment ago? And where have the stars gone off to?"

This caught everyone's attention, and as they looked up, Virion was proven to be right; not a single star could be found in the sky or the moon for that matter. Suddenly, the fire blew out, blanketing the area in near total darkness.

"Chrom, I'm scared…" Lissa whimpered, huddling over to her brother.

"You're not the only one here Lissa, believe me…"

"This is some freaky shit going on right now…" Sully was not a woman who could be frightened easily, but if something was truly eldritch the fear hit her like a cold anvil.

"Frederick," Bleu asked, "didn't you mention something about this earlier?"

"…I believe that I said something along the lines of an 'omen' being heralded by this type… of… atmosphere… oh dear…"

"Fuck going into a room for the night; everybody, we're staying out he—" Before Chrom could finish, an earthquake sent him right to the ground flat on his behind. The Shepherds were thrown into a state of near panic as they were thrown about the fortress like ragdolls. The terror did not end as trees were uprooted behind and towards the fortress' location.

"Oh, this can't be good..."

"Never mind staying here, everyone out!"

The others quickly obliged and made a beeline for the exit. Bolting out of the fortress and into the trees, the two horses looked straight ahead while the group took one last look at the place, witnessing it sink into the ground itself.

_"What the hell?!"_ Chrom could have sworn his eyes were playing tricks on him at that moment, the feeling only reinforced when it came back up, but it was rising further and further into the air as was everything else coming towards them. Finally, earth was tearing out of the ground and, much to everyone's horror, fiery magma began flying out of the newly formed crevice, up into the air and down into the forest below. The gang had to dodge the incoming lava missiles hurtling at them, one such projectile almost nailing Sully dead in her head.

_"SHIT!"_ she cursed, utterly terrified at the death attempt. "That crap was too close! Watch out people!"

"I see a clearing guys!" Chrom shouted. "Just a little further!" Indeed, a clearing was coming up, but once they got closer to it they didn't notice any trees beyond it but saw smoke instead, which could only mean one thing. "...is that... guys, slow down, SLOW DOWN!"

Everyone came to a skidding halt just as soon as they came into the clearing, stopping short of falling into the newly formed lava crater before them.

"Oh my gods..." Lissa said, her brain nearly locking up at the horrifying sight and backing up from the edge.

"Goodness gracious!" Virion was not exactly unfamiliar with seeing lava craters since he once traveled to the top of a volcano, but such things did not exist in Ylisse. "What is this blemish of nature doing out here?!"

Blue and Rouge were understandably freaked out by the chain of disasters, seeing as how it took them almost by complete surprise. Looking from the crater up in to smoke filled skies, they swore that Hell had completely froze over, terror gripping them in an icy guillotine.

_"C-Chrom..."_ _"What... what is that?"_

Hearing the unadulterated fear in their tones and seeing their horrified eyes gaze upward, the rest of the group turned to face the sky but only Chrom's mind could process a single thought.

_'Aw man, this is gonna _suck_...'_

* * *

End of the Chapter Notes: Okay, I couldn't get to the mystery characters in this part, but I will in the next one. I'm actually starting to have fun writing this too; I'm _so_ adding this to my list of hobbies (amongst other things like making MUGEN palette templates and drawing). As I've said before, the story will have a three part format at the least, and certain aspects of each character will be elaborated upon. One such defining characteristic about Chrom and the Avatars is that they will constantly be in conflict with their own morals and with their inner demons; Chrom got this as early as the second act of the Prologue, and the Avatars will _really_ get this at least by the time Chapter 5 starts. Anywho, stay tuned for Part 2, where things really heat up with the mystery characters' arrivals.


	5. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Part 2

**Author's Notes: Not much to say here, but this part will be the debut of the the three mystery characters who will be prominent figures in the story. Also, I never guessed that I would have a follower and two favs right now; not that this is a bad thing, but it's somewhat unexpected for me (thanks guys!). I also apologize for the massive delay in chapter production; I was really busy with my college work and other projects I had on my hands, so hopefully this chapter will make it up to you guys somewhat. I guess that's really all I have to say right now, so I'm moving on to the disclaimer.**

**The following is a nonprofit fan based work. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon-Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this Fan-Fiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and (Constructive) Review at your own discretion.**

"" indicates spoken dialogue. Words that are **Bolded** or _Italicized_ are for emphasis.

'' _indicates thought dialogue. Words that are __**Bolded**__ or _Not Italicized_ are for emphasis._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Part 2**

* * *

Everyone's eyes were fixated on the space above the lake of fire. Slowly, it seemed as though the sky itself was being pulled into one area, then all of a sudden as it sped up a shockwave shot out from the space, pushing the witnessing Shepherds backwards a bit while emitting an alien sound akin to the Lavos' roar. In that instant, the entire atmosphere had turned a black and white shade, barring the blue eye/clock shaped object which had undulated in the sky.

"…_the hell?"_ Chrom managed to finally say after a passing of several seconds.

"'Tis my duty to tell you if I could milord," Frederick spoke, "alas, this particular phenomenon is not within my realm of knowledge."

"Do you think Miriel could've been able to tell us if she was here bro?"

"Maybe Lissa, but this... _thing..._ it doesn't look like anything _anyone's_ ever seen..."

"You guys are seeing this right?" Sully interrupted, "Somethin' looks like it's comin' outta there."

"What's coming out of— _oh..._ this doesn't look good..."

The mysterious object in the sky began glowing ominously, and two entities started pooling out of it as if it was water. As they slowly emerged from the 'eye', ghastly groans escaped from their… whatever they were coming from… and upon closer inspection they appeared to be a warrior and a hero.

"_...wha-… what is this… this…"_ Chrom focused his eyes purely on the two apparently human beings, as did the rest of the Shepherds. When they finally came out of the blue 'eye', gravity promptly took the reins and they fell straight into the crater, making a splash in the molten rock below. For a good minute no one dared to get closer to the crater's edge, with Bleu and Rouge making the stride forward after a while. As they stared into the fiery waters below they saw nothing at first; cautiously leaning closer, they instead got the biggest scare of their lives as a single arm reached out at them.

"_**RRRRAAAAHHHHHHH!"**_ The pair jumped right back from the edge and onto their butts, backing away in intense terror and borderline breaking down. _"amotherfuckinghandtriedtograbmeamotherfuckinghandtriedtograbmeamotherfu__—__"_

"Guys, _slow down!_" Chrom just could not stand seeing his friends spaz out and practically blubber in utter horror, attempting to alleviate their nerves. "Please, just calm down and tell us what you saw…"

"_Ch-Chrom… there was a hand… that tried to__—"_

Before the sentence was finished, a hand had grasped on to the edge of the crater, surprise scaring the other Shepherds as well as utterly freaking out Lissa and the tacticians near it, who ran up to Chrom and gripped him for dear life practically crying in fear.

"_Ack! Gods… guys… let… go or…"_

The next thing that happened nearly made the man jump out of his skin; an inhuman roar from below and the rapid ascension of the visitors was enough to have the Shepherds back away for safety. They did NOT look friendly, but the most _wrong_ aspect about them were their glowing eyes and blood stains, both of which even retained their color when everything else in the vicinity grayed out. It was as if these creatures defied the laws of the time and space with their mere presence. The shambling duo unsheathed their own silver weapons, killing off any doubt that they were a threat.

"Everyone, get ready… these two look like they could—"

Before the order could be given, an eldritch gurgle of a scream uttered by the warrior signaled an incoming overhead attack. The man quickly threw off the clinging party and drew Falchion in time to counter attack it, slashing across its abdomen. It didn't move at first and Chrom assumed it to be dead; turning around for confirmation, he was horrified to find that he was _right,_ within seconds the creature twisted its own head to face him complete with sickening crunches.

"HOLY—" Before he could jump away, the warrior spun the rest of its body to strike Chrom, opting to block with his sword. The enemy proved to be much stronger than him in pure strength, but he moved out of the way and let its own weight and force propel it forward. Dashing up to it he quickly slashed at its neck, beheading it in one blow. Much to his surprise, the warrior dissolved into a vapor the same color as its breath. _'What the hell are these things?!'_ He took a brief moment to catch his breath, which soon proved to be a near-fatal mistake.

The other Shepherds' brains were slowly catching up to them, and when they noticed the almost forgotten hero behind an unsuspecting Chrom they drew their weapons. "Chrom, behind you!" Virion called out.

"Huh? Wha—crap!" He had momentarily forgotten about the hero that was still present and he had remembered too late. The larger fighter tackled him to the ground and laid him flat on his stomach; Chrom tried to reach up and slash it, but it quickly pinned his sword arm down while raising its own. A mere second before the blade could cut him, another had found its way in the hero's chest; had Chrom paid attention he would've noted the similarities it had with his own.

* * *

"I think the swordsman you're looking for," the new voice snarled, "is ME!" Wasting no more time than necessary, the new arrival had yanked their sword skyward, tearing the monstrous being in half from the chest up. It didn't even get a chance to hit the ground, its own entirety melting into the ghastly gas. The only evidence of its presence was the silver sword that was once in its grasp. Once it was safe to get up, Chrom rose to his feet to thank and survey his savior.

"Oh man, I would've been a royal 'head on a platter' dish had you not come along when you did. Seriously, thank you so much for the assistance my good si—…uh," Chrom had to catch himself in the midst of his sentence once he laid eyes on his mysterious rescuer. The newcomer had long flowing hair and a tiara that looked far from masculine, a slender stature that screamed female even with her dark colored armor, and her facial features were anything but those of a man. "…I mean, miss, for coming to my aid."

The woman didn't seem to acknowledge his gratitude for a moment, staring deep into his eyes with her own, her left eye glowing a rich blue even amidst the greyscale environment. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke again. "…Think nothing of it sir…"

"It would be quite difficult for us to do so," Frederick called out from behind her, "after all, you did just save our lord from that creature."

"Yeah! I owe you one after covering my bro for me!"

"The mere fact that I could save him is reward enough for me…"

"Well aren't you a humble one eh?" Sully remarked, "You still have our gratitude regardless."

"You have our deepest thanks indeed; tell us, perhaps the brave maiden can grace us with her name?" The moment Virion had finished his speech the woman turned on him and he wished he hadn't opened his trap when she stared at him.

"Man, you just can't go a day without pissing someone off can you?"

"I find that hardly fair Sully, I was only—"

"He had not angered me I assure you. But my true name is something that I cannot tell you."

"How come? Someone gotcha on a restraint or somethin'?"

"Nothing of that sort I assure you. It is simply confidential information."

"Is there something we can call you by then?" Bleu asked, earning a swift glare from her in his direction. "Um, did I say something wrong?"

"…no, you had not… I suppose that if you must call me by something, it can be 'Lucy'."

"'Lucy' huh? Well then, thanks for coming to my aid. I'll be sure to thank you proper once we get out of this mess, if you're willing to stick around." The blue haired leader flashed one of his winning smiles her way, and if everything wasn't so monotone he would have noticed her face's heated hue. Suddenly, her head shot behind her and glanced at the blue eye in the sky.

"Everyone, beware; I sense more monstrous forces coming through this Outrealm Gate."

"Wait a minute, 'Outrealm Gate'? I've heard Miriel mention it a few times, but what is that exactly?"

"A rift in time and space that allows for cross dimensional travel. 'Tis where I had arrived from, and so have those monsters." True to the woman's earlier word, the portal's glow and screech had returned, and even more of the horrid zombies began pouring out from it. More heroes and warriors were spotted alongside several snipers and bow knights. Within minutes the creatures were all climbing out of the lava, horses included, groaning or snarling the whole time.

"So you know what these things are?" Rouge asked.

"Yes, they are called 'The Risen' in my world. Undead hellspawn who only crave death, destruction, and the blood and flesh of their living brethren."

"So they're basically super soldier zombie vampires, *sigh* that's nice to know."

"Exactly fa- er, Chrom, they possess such deadly skill that would even put the most hardened soldiers to shame. Their presence here marks the beginning of an era of darkness…"

"You were right Freddie, this weather _was_ omen weather."

"Fear not Lissa; whether it be man of zombie, none shall shake the strength and resolve of the Shepherds."

"That's right Frederick. Let's put these fiends to the blade and back into the ground. Shepherds, and Lucy, to arms!" Without skipping a beat the soldiers armed themselves for the incoming zombie onslaught, and Chrom could only feel a sense of pride as he watched his group ready to fight for him without a moment's hesitation. But even as he felt pride for them he also felt sadness, sadness because he knew that deep down they would not hesitate to throw themselves at his enemies for his sake at the cost of their own lives, even his sister Lissa.

'_That's what soldiers do; fight and die for their masters like loyal dogs.'_

'_They're not dogs, they're… they're my companions…'_

'_Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that… they have their duties, and duty always comes first you know, no matter who they serve, even Lissa.'_

'_Don't say it…'_

'_Don't deny it, she would definitely—'_

'Shut… up…' Pushing the unwelcome voice out of his thoughts he gripped the hilt of his sacred sword and shifted into battle position. _'Even if they would die for me, I won't allow it!'_

"Enemy heroes to the left people!" The info came from Bleu, and shifting their heads left a horde of silver sword heroes were advancing towards the group. "Chrom, Sully, and Frederick, get your lances out!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Sully pulled out her trademark lance and flashed one of her feral grins at the zombies. One of them tried to jump slash at her, leaving themselves wide open for an abdominal impalement. "So long chump!" the red head remarked as she tossed the body into the nearby lava pool, not crawling out of it this time. The moment she did this and turned around another hero had encroached upon her with axe in hand, only for Frederick to swipe at their neck from behind.

"I think not foul creature." The knight wasted no time beheading the zombie with his sword, but no blood sprayed from its neck, only wispy black mist shot out in its place before the whole body dissolved. "*sigh* These creatures truly are eldritch abominations..."

"True that, but look on the bright side: we won't feel too sorry for killing their asses."

"But did 'Lucy' not state that they are undead humans? That would mean that..."

"Yeah..."

"Bow Knights on the other side ready to fire! Virion, let's take them out!"

"With utmost pleasure and speed my fair Rouge!" Nocking an arrow at his long fancy bow, the lady killer sniper took aim at one of the bow knights. His enemy had pulled out a killer bow, hoping to score a critical hit, but it was not to be. "Tell me my fellow bowman, shall I make you… _famous?_" The arrow was let loose right after, soaring through the hot air and mysteriously splitting into five smaller ones, each nailing the undead foe right in the face. This had surprised Chrom who happened to be watching the display.

"Wait, what kind of bow is that? You never told me you had such a weapon…"

"Ah, I see you are fascinated by the legendary bow Astra! It is a treasure of Valm that I managed to retrieve one fine day, and I have kept it ever since. Its special ability of the same name only responds to one with intense focus and skill such as yours truly."

"Really? Well that's interesting." Bleu and Rouge did happen to catch the sight of the bow splitting into five but didn't exactly understand how that phenomenon worked. It was quite baffling to the pair. "Any other treasures you managed to snag and keep?" They took aim at another bow knight nearby and casted devastating thunder magic at them, frying them into a crisp.

"Well, just three more. But enough of my rambling, I do believe there are fiendish ghouls to vanquish." With a tussle of his long hair, the dainty sniper dashed away to find another target to practice on.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but does he always act so much like a dandy Chrom?"

"Yeah; he's the greatest bowman I've ever seen, but you wouldn't tell from the way he struts about."

"Like a peacock; elegant, but deadly."

"Exactly."

"Hold on a second; Lissa, Lucy's struggling with a warrior, help her out!"

The spritely war cleric had just finished off an unlucky sniper and quickly made her way toward the bigger fighter with her Bolt Axe. Weaving in between the many arrows fired at her she jumped forward with her weapon in hand, swinging it in a swift motion down the fighter's middle. Its screech of pain was not enough to rattle the young Shepherd, its body halves quickly fading into smoke and silencing it forever. The semi-downed Lucy beside her could only look on with slight shock.

"How, how did you…?"

"How'd I do what, chop them up like firewood? I really have Frederick and Vaike to thank for teaching me how to wield axes. I figured that since Chrom uses swords and lances, I could cover for him if he ever gets in trouble with his lance or with magical foes."

"No, that's not it. I mean… how is it that you can outrun that many arrows with that axe?"

Lissa could only smirk upon hearing someone compliment her speed. "This axe is not _that_ heavy y'know; it's light enough as to not slow me down, but strong and heavy enough for me to chop things with it. And it's also imbued with Thunder Magic which is the second strongest type of magic available."

"Right after Dark Magic…"

"Yeah… I've actually tried learning how to wield light magic to counter Dark Magic, but it's really hard..."

"Hmmm… I see, well, that is a—"

"Watch out people, a group of Risen are getting ready to swarm us!"

"What?! Where from?!"

"To your right Chrom!"

These enemies were a mixture of all of the types of enemies that were encountered this night, all of them were wielding a wide array of armament. The non-bow wielders looked ready to fly at any moment, meaning that they would be easily swarmed by the creatures. _'Strange, if they're such mindless creatures, why do they wield weapons and why do they attack the way they do?' _Chrom's thoughts were only responded to by the voice in his head.

'_Tch, Hell if I know; something's probably controlling them.'_

'_Yeah; true zombies shouldn't be acting the way they are right now…'_

_'And Naga knows that Ylisse has no such means of producing these kinds of monsters...'_

_'...Do you think Plegia is possibly behind this somehow?'_

_'At this point in time, I honestly wouldn't put it past them, considering what Ylisse_—_'_

"Everyone but Virion and Lissa, get into a 'converging arrow' position, Frederick and Sully, you will be in the front leading Chrom and Lucy!" "Virion and Lissa, you two are with us to provide the ranged support! Quickly people!"

Chrom immediately snapped out of his thoughts and ran over to the other soldiers, ready to strike. The Risen were coming hard and fast in a straight line, just as Bleu and Rouge had hoped. "Wait, how do you know that maneuver?"

"It just came to us, and besides," "Now would be a good time to try it!"

Chrom stared at the two grinning strategists for a little, a sense of familiarity creeping up on him. _'Why does it feel like I know them? Maybe I saw them somewhere before...'_

_'Wait, you're telling me that you met these people?'_

_'Maybe...'_ "Alright then, but you ARE aware of the risk I assume?"

"Of course." Rouge responded, "If the Shepherds weren't highly trained soldiers we wouldn't haven't suggested it. Thank the gods you're such a competent leader."

"Er, uh, thanks Rouge..."

_'Really now Chrom? Quit scratching your head and smiling like a goofy mountain kid.'_

_'Oh go to hell...'_

_'I'm already there smart guy; living in here with you is nowhere near pleasant."_

_'Love you too; but in all seriousness,'_ Chrom thought, looking at the stampede heading his way, _'Im'ma need you to keep quiet for now...'_

* * *

**End Chapter Notes: I know that I said that I'll get to all of the mystery characters, but I try to wrap it up once the word count gets higher than 3,000, and so I decided that the last two will show up in the next part. And I swear that it will be the end of this chapter to boot; I'm starting to hate college sometimes for taking up a lot of time, but oh well, what can you do? In any case, stay tuned for the next installment of Fire Emblem Re-Awakening!**


	6. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Part 3

**Author's Notes: Here's the 3rd part to the 1****st**** chapter of Re-Awakening, Unwelcome Change. By the way, just to let you all know right now, there will be intermission chapters that take place in between certain chapters called "Interlogues" which deal with character interaction; I know that it's a cheesy title but I'm sticking with it. "Otherlogues" will deal with anything not related to the overall plot. By the way, I don't know how I screwed up the documents last time for the previous chapter, but that should all be fixed now. From this Chapter onward the chapters (and their documents) will be in this specific format, oh and I **_**will**_** introduce the last two mystery characters in this part (I promise!); and to give you all fair warning, this story will be EXTREMELY long, so strap in for the ride. Enough talk for now, it's time for the ever so anticipated disclaimer.**

**The following is a nonprofit fan-based adaptation. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon through Fire Emblem Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this fanfiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and Review at your own discretion.**

"" **indicates spoken dialogue while **_**'' indicates thought dialogue**_**.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change: Part 3**

* * *

The clash between the Shepherds and the Risen had seemed to come close to an end. The Risen were ready to charge at their living foes like bloodthirsty hellhounds, and the Shepherds were prepared to strike the eldritch horde at the command of their leader. For a moment of either growling or silent anticipation, neither faction moved forward to meet their enemies. And the strange thing about the Risen was that while they previously attacked with little regard for calculations or order, they were definitely planning something right now. This tidbit had worried Chrom, wondering when the monsters would fly loose at them.

'_Something about all of this just feels so _wrong_. I know that I basically called these things "super soldier zombie vampires", but why are they not attacking?'_

'_Maybe they want you to make a mess in your pantaloons or do something stupid like you usually do. I don't know and I don't care.'_

'_If that's what they're doing then they're wasting their time.'_ Almost as if the zombies responded to his thoughts they all howled out their battle cries and the unmounted corpse soldiers had charged at the small army. _'Right on cue eh?'_ "Alright Shepherds, on Bleu and Rouge's command we perform the Converging Arrow formation!" The soldiers steeled themselves upon their leader's order; they watched as the undead horde came barreling at them like untamed savages, intent on ripping them to shreds, and they had not wavered in their stance. As soon as the foremost Risen came close to blows with Frederick and Sully, Bleu and Rouge bellowed out their commands, _"NOW, __**CHARGE!**__"_

Almost as if they were cannons Frederick and Sully shot ahead and skewered the bolting Risen upon their lances, their horses galloping across and in front of each other like diagonal ribbons out of the onslaught and back in, and repeating the process switching frontal positions. Chrom and Lucy themselves had dashed ahead and slashed any zombie that Frederick and Sully missed to pieces with their identical blades, leaping in front of and above each other in tandem while their enemies screeched out in extreme pain and fury. Bleu, Rouge, Lissa, and Virion took position far behind Chrom and Lucy, the magical users began firing various magic missiles while Virion launched multiple arrows at the hapless foes far ahead of Frederick and Sully while keeping pace with their fellow soldiers. Such a sight would have frightened any mortal soldier, the display being one of synchronized teamwork and a complete and utter slaughter of their enemies, but such a sight did not strike fear in the charging zombies, who persisted with their attack until they inevitably fell to their living opponents. The enemy bow knights and snipers continued their arrow showers but could not land a single hit, and once the infantry was dealt with they too would have been slain by the Shepherds the moment the distance was closed. Chrom could only smirk upon noticing his soldiers' harmony with each other in battle, his chest swelling up in immense pride.

'_Heh, look at them fight with such passion and faith in their abilities. Rouge was right; I trained my brothers-in-arms well…'_

"_Tch, only because they were scared of you lashing out on them… they still _are_ in a way, but now they know how much of a pussy you are, they—'_

'_You think you know my own men better than me?'_

'_How many times do I have to remind your dumb ass that I AM you? I'm just more realistic with the world.'_

'_Realistically _unrealistic_ if that's what you mean, my men do not fear me.'_

'_We'll see about that _princey_.'_

* * *

The pressing corpse soldiers dropped to the ground like flies, evaporating into black and purple miasma, leaving only their weapons behind within two mere minutes of initiating the Converging Arrow, and while the bow wielders were bold enough to fire their weapons at such a close range it couldn't save them from their fate, meeting their ends abruptly after the fall of their comrades. Once the fighting had calmed and the area became dead silent, the Shepherds took a short moment to survey their surroundings, Chrom began to assess the situation.

"It seems that all of those creatures are gone… good riddance too."

"Indeed milord, although to say that the area has returned to normal would be far from an accurate assessment."

"That much is true Frederick. Still, at least we don't have to deal with anymo—" The moment Chrom began to speak his last sentence a blood curdling screech escaped from the Outrealm Gate hanging above the lava crater, and the eye shaped portal started glowing anew with an intense light. "Ah hell no, _more_ of them?! We just—"

"Wait," Lucy interrupted, her own eye reacting to the new phenomenon, "I can only sense one being coming through, but…"

"But…?"

"But… it is much more powerful than any of the Risen we have faced here… _oh no…_"

"Oh no means that it's a very bad sign doesn't it?" Lissa nervously inquired. "What could possibly be worse than _a horde_ of those things?"

"Their _leader_ for one…" Lucy replied. "They are all controlled by a dark force, but there are Risen Chiefs who are appointed as the leader of any given squad of Risen because of their monstrous prowess…"

"Oh great," Bleu and Rouge audibly groaned though their teeth, "Please tell us that we only have to deal with just one of them…"

"Fortunately yes, but they should not be taken lightly because of their number, for they make up for the lack of numbers with sheer power and an enhanced intelligence alone." Just as she had finished a monstrous and garbled roar tore through the air, silencing the thoughts of the Shepherds barring fear and nailing them into the ground. What appeared to be wispy black hair started to surface, and then slowly, a head finally emerged from the glowing "water", but it did not look natural; instead of simply having blood red eyes, a horrid and ashen skull masked covered the face of this fiend apparently stitched together at the cheek and jaws. Another strange feature was the lack of any clothing on this creature once more of its body pooled out, its body bearing a scorched-black color and a bulky physique. One of its hands carried a massive and dark-red stained tomahawk, still looking to be ready for maiming its victims. Once gravity took control of the beast's movement, it fell straight into the lava pool underneath and made a large splash, causing the onlookers to back away for safety.

"Would that happen to be the Risen Chief Lucy?" Chrom asked.

"Yes… it is an unnatural abomination even amongst its own undead brethren." she added with a slight hitch in her voice. "They are feared as agents of death itself, unmoving in their lust for destruction and devouring of the living. Be on guard everyone; this will prove to be a very exhausting battle, especially for your first encounter with a Risen Chief…"

Bleu and Rouge looked into the lake of fire as Lucy provided exposition on the newly spawned zombie, a morbid yet soothing familiarity creeping into them.

* * *

'_Why does this seem so familiar to me?'_ Bleu thought, _'I have no memory of my own past, and while I am absolutely terrified out of my mind right now, somehow this all feels so… calming in a way…'_

'_Maybe our past is somehow connected to these things if this feeling is surfacing NOW of all times…'_ Rouge thought to herself, unknowingly responding to Bleu's own reveries.

'_Wha— Rouge, how did you read my mind?'_ he mentally asked spinning his head to face her. This got Rouge to notice the voice calling her.

'_Huh? Hold on, _Bleu_?'_

'_Yeah, it's me.'_

'…_Th—this is… really _weird_… so apparently we have some sort of psychic link now huh?'_

'_I guess so… this means that we share thoughts with each other in a sense…'_

'_Wow… do you think we should tell the others?'_

'_Hmmmm… not right now, maybe another time.'_

'_**Rrrrrroooooooobbbbbbiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn…'**_ Both of the grandmasters immediately tensed up and began looking around the area, unaware that they had drew Lucy's attention to them in doing so.

'_Who's there?'_ they simultaneously thought, trying to identify the voice's source, getting their answer near instantly. A previous event came to mind, and they internally voiced out their collective response. _'Are you our enigmatic 'guide' from before?'"_

'_**Iiiii aaammmmmm iiinnnnddddeeeeeeeeeeedddd ttthhhheeeee ggguuuiiiiiiddddeeeee…'**_

'_Okay then…'_ _'…Is there something you wanted to tell us in particular?'_

'_**Hhhhheeeeeeeeeeddddddd mmmmyyyyyyy cccaaaaaaaalllllllllll… yyyyoooooouuuuu aaarrrrrreeeeee cccoooonnnfffrrrrrrooonnttttteeeedddd wwiiiiiitttthhhhhhh aaaa Oooooootttthhhheeerrrrrwwwwooooorrrrrdddlllyyyyyyy tttthhhhhhhrrrrrreeeeaaaaaattttt… yyyyoooooouuuuurrrrrrr tttaaaacccttttiiiicccaaaalllll pprrrrooowwweeeeeeesssssss wwwwiiiiillllll nnnooooooottttt hhheeeeelllllppppp yyyoooooouuuuu hhheeeeeerrrrrreeeeee…'**_

'Wha—_ but if our strategies won't work against this thing…" "…then _how_ can we possibly win this?'_

'_**Aaaaaa ssssiiiiimmmmpplllllleeeee aaaannnnnsssswweeeerrrrr… yyyooooouuuuu bbbooooottttthhhhh hhhaaaavvvveeeee aaaa ppppoooottttteeeeennnnnnttttt fffooorrrrrccceeeeee wwwiiiittttthhhhiiiinnnnnn yyyyyyoooouuuu… aaalllllll yyyoooouuuu mmmmuuuusssstttttt dddooooo iissssss llleeetttttt yyyooouuuurrrrr ppprrriiiimmaaalllll ddddeeesssiiiiirrrrrreeeeesss tttaaakkkkeeee cccooonnnnttttrrrroooolllll… hhheeeerrrrreeeeee… Iiiiiiii ssshhhhaaaallllll aaaasssssiiiisssstttt yyyoooouuuuuu…'**_

Before the two could question how this mysterious being could possibly help them in a battle, a splitting headache struck them with a vicious force and sending them reeling from the excruciating pain and screaming in sheer agony. This sudden action brought the eyes of the other Shepherds to them.

"_Bleu, Rouge, what's wrong?!"_ Chrom asked, worried that the grandmasters were in peril. They could not hear him, their own howls drowning out any outside sound to them.

'_**Ggyyyaaaaahhhhhh! What— what are you—'**_ _**'—doing to us?!'**_

"_Guys!_ Hang on, I got y—" as Chrom reached out to help them up, he was quickly electrified by the purple lightning-like aura that suddenly encompassed them and was violently thrown back.

"_*gasp* Fa— Chrom!_" Lucy ran straight to Chrom's side, hoping that he was not in any serious injury. _"Are you all right?!"_

"_Gods… that stung_… I should be fine, it's Bleu and Rouge I'm worried about right now…" The other Shepherds had stood in shock of their friends' recent predicament. Within seconds, their voices had started to distort themselves, shifting into a legion-esque echo comprised of their own voices, more demonic tones of the same vocal chords, and what sounded to be a dragon's all mixed in one. This caused everyone to back away from the sudden change in the grandmasters.

"…_the fuck?"_ Sully asked, morbid fear gripping her for the second time that day. _"This is some freaky shit man…"_

"_F—Frederick…"_ Lissa called out to the knight, "Do you… know what's going on?" His response had only increased her fear.

"…No, I don't, I wish I did, but I don't. I don't think ANYONE knows what's going on right now…"

"Good gods, what have befallen our grandmasters?" Virion inquired in kind, "It's as if a demonic dragon or something had started to possess them!" The last remark had Lucy's eyes widen and her irises shrink to tiny proportions.

"_Oh gods… __**no**__… Naga almighty __**please**__ no…"_ Her silent muttering had went unnoticed and one could see tears start to well up in her eyes if they looked. She hadn't even been shook from her fearful trance even when the behemoth Risen Chief had crawled out of the lava right behind her. She only noticed the peril she was in when black and purple ooze had dripped onto her forehead, and a puff of smoke accompanying a hiss made it in her vision.

'Wha—what is thi… _oh…_" She didn't even want to look up, but something compelled her to do so, albeit painfully slowly, and she came face to face with the Risen Chief leering over her. Lucy had never even been _this_ close to an encounter with the creatures, let alone a chief of their kind, and the close sight of its manic and blood red eyes staring into her own caused something in her to snap. The monster didn't even give her to escape, quickly grabbing the young woman by the head as she screamed to get away.

"Huh? Lucy are you all ri— _**Shit!**_" Chrom hurried over to free the woman from the monstrous grasp of the Risen Chief and pulled Falchion out to slash at it, with the other Shepherds barring Lissa following suit. Bleu and Rouge continued to writhe and wail in pain.

"_**Somebody, help us! Eeyyyaaaaaahhhhh!"**_

"No, no, nononononono… what do I do, _what do I do?!_ I know, I should just pull out one of my—"

"_**Aaaggghhhhh, it BURNS!"**_ Soon, the duo burst into a thick plume of black "flames" and the pitch of their screams had risen.

"_ACK! Oh gods, somebody, please, help them! _Help!_"_

Frederick, Sully, And Virion had opted to attack the Risen Chief and save Lucy from it. Their attacks had done very little damage to the behemoth, but it had managed to grate on its nerves; now turning its attention to the three fighters before it, it took one quick swipe of its massive axe intending to shoo them off of it, hitting them with the blunt edge of the weapon.

"Guys!" Chrom watched his troops swatted like flies into some trees, but true to their credit they shrugged it off within seconds and jumped back at the beast. He wanted to order them to stop attacking the giant but that would put Lucy at risk. He doubted that he could punch through the monster's defenses, and hearing the agony of his newfound friends and watching his fellow soldiers struggle in vain to free Lucy put him at odds. _'Oh man what do I do? If I help try to free Lucy, Bleu and Rouge could die! But if I go over to try to help them, Lucy and the others could be killed by this thing! And I don't even know what's happening to save them! _Argh, what do I do?!_'_

'_I seriously wish I could help you, for once, but I've got nothing. And I really hate to be the bearer of bad news right now; this is not going to end well for one of them. You're going to have to—'_

'Don't fucking say it!_ I'm not sacrificing _anyone!_ I—I'll just find a way, I'll—'_

'Do you think I'm enjoying this either?!_ You don't have _time_ for that! I'm trying to tell you that; _you can't save everyone_, that's just how life works! Seriously man, if you don't do something, then they'll _all_ die!'_ Almost confirming his other's thoughts the Risen Chief had strengthened its dead grip around Lucy's head, continuing for a short moment until a sound was heard: a crack and a sharp gasp from its victim.

"Lucy!" Chrom couldn't take it anymore; summoning up whatever rationale he had left in him, the man charged at the monster

'_Oh gods, Naga please, help me… _please_… don't take them all away like this, _**please**_… send me a miracle or give me strength to fight, something, _anything_, _PLEASE! Please…_'_ Chrom had a degree of pride as a skilled leader and man, but he cared not if everyone watched him break down in tears; he hated losing people above all else, and his deep rooted fear of losing three people who didn't deserve to die had made him do just that. Right now, all he wanted to do was help, but he was too torn between who he should be helping and what to order his soldiers to do; he just didn't want to lose anyone _"Please…"_

* * *

"_**LOOK AT THEM STRUGGLING IN VAIN TO FREE THE BLUE HAIRED WOMAN FROM THAT MONSTER, ARE YOU MERELY GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET IT HAPPEN? ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR STUBBORN ADHESIVENESS TO STRATEGY?"**_

"_N—no… we can't…"_

"_**THEN LET GO OF YOUR RATIONAL THOUGHTS. GIVE IN TO YOUR EMOTIONS AND DESIRES, TRANSFORM YOUR FEARS INTO POWER! ALLOW YOURSELVES TO BE ONE WITH DESTRUCTION, ONE WITH DARKNESS"**_

"_B—but…"_

"_**YOU MUST… TRUST ME… OR THEY WILL ALL DIE…"**_

"No… no…"

"_**THEN CEASE RESISTING. LET IT ALL GO. FREE YOURSELF FROM THOUGHT, LET YOUR EMOTIONS TAKE CONTROL, AND BECOME AN AVATAR DARKNESS! DO IT, OR ELSE YOUR FRIENDS WILL CEASE TO BE!"**_

And with a final scream, everything went black for Bleu and Rouge, and their vision became murky with nothing but one thing on their mind:

'_Kill the monster before _it_ kills Lucy; kill it _hard_, kill it _fast_, _kill it, kill it, **KILL IT!**_'_

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Shepherds and the Risen Chief, a third party had been present during the skirmish, watching the warring factions from the shadows with interest.

"Perhaps we should hold out a little while longer," a masculine voice had called out, "We must determine if we should truly intervene in this conflict…"

"Aw, come on Adam!" a feminine voice whined, showing irritation in their tone, "We're missing out on all of the fun out there! Plus, they clearly need us right now and—"

"It doesn't look that way to me," another man's voice interrupted, albeit bearing a powerful baritone and rasp to it, "that zombie will be torn to shreds anyhow, so why do we really need to help these… _cretins_…"

"Because they could be of more use to us in the near future." A sultry woman's voice rang out. "Besides, those white-haired twins look devilishly cute."

"In any case we should probably just hang back to be on the safe side. If they don't need us now then there's no need to make our presence known just yet… _although_…" The first voice dubbed "Adam" peered out from behind the trees and witnessed the dark transformation of Bleu and Rouge. He narrowed his eyes and the right one lit up a brilliant blue hue, and the sigil in the center shone even brighter once the duo's own eyes had changed blood red. The others' eyes followed suit in response but in different ways.

"_If this gets too out of hand…"_

"_Then this is going to be over quicker than we thought…"_

"_And it's not going to end on a pretty note either…"_

* * *

**End Chapter Notes: Welp, this is the 3****rd**** part of this fanfiction's 1****st**** chapter. I originally intended for it to be strictly three parts with this part being the finale. But I have a thing with the finales being too drawn out, so I cut it off and decided to hurry on and get this part out. And I know that I said that this will be the definitive end, but I just can't seem to get a decisive answer. But the next one WILL be the conclusion (I promise, please don't be mad at me). Stay tuned for this saga's (Wrath of The Mad King) next installment of **_**Fire Emblem Re-Awakening!**_


	7. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change Finale

**Author's Introduction Notes: okay, THIS is the definitive conclusion to Unwelcome Change. And I forgot to change a typo regarding the mystery characters. It's a lot more than just two of them, but that's all I'm willing to say about that. Anyways, let's get this disclaimer out of the way.**

**The following is a nonprofit fan-based adaptation. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon through Fire Emblem Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this fanfiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and Review at your own discretion.**

"" **indicates spoken dialogue while **_**'' indicates thought dialogue**_**.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change: Finale**

* * *

Time itself seemed to have come to a complete standstill with the advent of Bleu and Rouge's sudden, dark outburst. The once-battling soldiers and even the chieftain had ceased their combat to look at the now flaring grandmasters, who glared blood soaked daggers and barred their teeth at the charcoal skinned zombie. The towering behemoth stared at them in curiosity, the faintest of smiles graced its skull mask as it narrowed its undead eyes at the opposing pair. Chrom could sense that something weird was up with his new tacticians, but for whatever the reason was he couldn't exactly figure out why. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had not seen them utilize the powers of darkness before, or maybe it was for the fact that they seemed different to him, from minor physical changes to their current disposition.

'_Um… are you still there?'_ Chrom asked "himself", wondering that his "other" persona would answer him.

'_Who, me? Pfft, of course I am brick-head. What do you want this time?'_ The voice responded, agitation and annoyance ringing loud in Chrom's head.

'_Why do you always have to__—__ oh whatever. Listen, do you know what's going on right now? With Bleu and Rouge at least.'_

'_Honestly, no I don't. If anything though, I'd say that this is probably a good thing; that Risen Chief is looking to become worm food shortly. Well, it technically IS worm food but, you get the idea.'_

"*sigh*" _'I suppose you're right about that part. I just hope that everyone will be okay in the end.'_

'_Geez, what are you, their mother or something? You're SUPPOSED to be their military commander, not some dork who's obsessed with this "bonds" bullshit or anything like that.'_ The last part of the other "Chrom's" statement made a vein bulge above the blue haired man's eyes,

'Bullshit?_ Oh please, At least _I_ understand its true meaning,_ unlike a certain asshole_.'_

'_And by "a certain asshole", you mean _YOU_ right?'_

'_Will you give that a rest already?'_

The exasperated man decided to watch for Bleu and Rouge's next move, unprepared for the total slaughter he would soon bear witness too.

* * *

"_**You leave our friends alone you rotted freak!"**_ they roared out at the same time, causing their comrades to give them a once over and question whether they were still the same people as before. With that, they charged straight into the undead monstrosity with a speedy tackle that caught the giant off guard, the resulting collision causing it to drop Lucy to the ground. They were not about to let up on their assault either; the moment the Risen Chief regained its composure the two white haired fighters were already on it, striking the beast clean in the face with darkness infused fists. It stumbled backwards for a few feet, clutching the side of its face in pain. Bleu and Rouge had become driven purely by the desire to kill the Risen Chief in an excruciating manner, and they didn't even give it a chance to counterattack, quickly launching themselves at its midsection and drop kicking it into the trees behind it. The mysterious guide on the inside of their heads was clearly relishing in all of this violence, goading them further to destroy the zombie with extreme prejudice while cackling like a maddened killer.

'_**Yes, that's it; do not give this abominable wretch so much as an INCH of mercy! Tear it down with your rage, drown it in pitch black DARKNESS and unbridled DESTRUCTION!'**_

The duo were more than happy to oblige, and although they didn't take sadistic glee in hurting the beast the felt an intense desire to maim it as harshly and as swiftly as possible, all while infuriating it with fiery, hornet-like words.

"_**Doesn't feel too fucking good being the victim now, does it? Three attacks from us and you're down; pathetic isn't it, huh, ISN'T IT?!"**_ They got their intended reaction; within seconds the fallen Risen Chief righted itself, allowing it the time needed to stand on its own two feet and take a vertical slash at them in hatred, only for them to slide underneath and behind it and perform a two-fisted shove, sending it crashing in front of the hellish lake it rose from. The axe it had in its grasp was sent flying right into it, out of its reach as it grabbed for it and nearly rendering it powerless. It turned to its attackers and saw them standing across from it, a black flame emanating from their bodies and a death glare directed right at it, all while flashing their surprisingly vampiric teeth at it. While it could only stare at them in fury, Bleu and Rouge's companions watched in shock and slight fear at the sudden change in the two.

"_Hot damn,"_ Sully managed to force out, "they must've gotten _pissed_ huh?"

"Yeah…" Lissa responded, staring at the two in a semi-trance. "They seem like really nice people to me. Right now… they're actually pretty scary. And you all saw how quick they took that thing down?"

Chrom could scarce believe it either; the Risen Chief swatted away three people who were attacking it at once with a single attack while incapacitating another with its free arm, and yet Bleu and Rouge managed to nearly defeat it with four well placed attacks. Before he could ponder the thought any further, his other persona called out to him.

'_Soooo… how long are you just going to sit there and let that fine-as-Hell honey over there wither up and die?'_

'_Who? Nobody's in__—__'_ before he finished his sentence, a single person came to his mind, someone who he was worrying his ass off worrying about before. 'Lucy!'

'Ding, ding, ding, that's right!_ Now get your dumbass moving man; no doubt she's going to stand you up after today's events. Shame that you're _STILL_ too stupid to get any hot pus__—__'_

'_Seriously, can you keep your commentary to yourself for one second?!'_ Chrom jumped out and bolted right over to Lucy's laying form. He surveyed her to see if she was alright: aside from some dark bruises on her lovely face, she seemed to be fine, if just unconscious. The last thought made it into his conscious mainstream, heating up his face a few degrees.

'…_did I really think that her face is lovely? Gods, what's wrong with me?'_

'_That's what I keep asking myself man. You're staring at an _unconscious_ woman and complimenting her while she can't hear or see you; you really _ARE_ a whack crackerjack.'_

'_I am _not—_'_ while he was bickering with himself, Lucy began to stir beneath him, opening her eyes to his concerned visage above her own.

"_Ch-Chrom…"_

"Yeah, it's me Lucy. Don't worry, you're safe now."

"_I-I see… thank you… for__—__"_ right as she was lifting herself up an infernal pain shot into her head and she hurriedly clutched it in pain.

"_Crap_, I forgot about that! Lissa, over here! _Quickly!_"

"I'm on it bro!" Lissa took one of her attached staves and ran straight over to the blue-haired woman, whispering incantations before holding the staff above Lucy's head. A bright green light encircled the woman before dissipating completely. Within seconds, the lying woman slowly rose to sit up and looked dead in the war cleric's eyes, gratitude shining in them.

"Thank you milady, had it not been for you I—"

"_**Prepare yourself!"**_ the two tacticians called out from the short distance in synchronization with each other. As everyone turned to look, the two were in a semi-squatting position apparently powering up for an attack, the dark flames surrounding them blazing intensely. Their guide had become ecstatic at this point, gleefully encouraging them to tear into the Risen Chief with utmost rage.

* * *

'_**Yes, YES! Show this pitiful wretch your true power; show it the wrath of raging demons!'**_ Upon the final command the two tacticians roared out in pure rage, dashing towards the hapless zombie whilst "gliding" along the ground towards it. The zombie stared at the incoming duo, shock on its skull like features and a nearly invisible smirk across its open maw. The moment the tacticians grabbed it from its left and right, its fate had been sealed; it was over, and it was going to die a swift yet infernal death at their hands.

"_**PERISH A THOUSAND INSTANTS OVER!"**_ Suddenly, everything had gone pitch black and nothing could be seen or heard, except for twenty seven flashes of violet lights and a loud, eldritch howl piercing the skies. Once the flashing had stopped and the howling had died out, the blackened atmosphere shattered as if it was glass, and the environment became visible again, retaining the grayscale hue from a moment ago. The Shepherds had opened their eyes and found Bleu and Rouge standing over the now dead Risen Chief, their backs turned to them and breathing heavily. Had anyone looked closely, they would have noticed sigils lit up on the opposite hands of the tacticians. For a while everything was silent; no one had spoken a single word, simply staring at their friends in concern. Once again, the mysterious guide had been excessively pleased with these turn of events, laughing uncontrollably and congratulating their "pupils" on their exceptional show of prowess during the night.

'_**Well done Robin, well done indeed. You have both shown a remarkable display of power against a single Chieftain. This is very good; once you begin to embrace your inner darkness more you shall be capable of displaying even more incredible feats of strength with ease. Of course, we shall also work together to perfect your tactical prowess for when you truly need it. And do not worry; I shall be there to advise and guide you every step of the way. For now I must leave you, but I shall return to you very soon… remember, you will need this power to fulfill your destinies…'**_

With this Bleu and Rouge's guide had begun to mentally leave them, the Risen Chief behind them slowly melting into gas and dissipating into the air. Once the guide was completely gone, the two grandmasters lost their balance and knelt onto the ground, wasted and gasping for air. Chrom and the others quickly ran up to them to help them stand up, except for Lucy who kept her distance for some reason.

"Gods, are you two alright?! What happened?!" Chrom had nearly pulled a muscle on his rush over to them, but they simply looked up at him and gave him reassuring smiles.

"_We…we really don't know…"_ _"But… look on the bright side: the Risen Chief is gone and we're all safe for now, right?"_ Chrom found it increasingly hard for him to argue or fret any further once they gave him their winning smiles, a fact that his other persona was ready to tease him over. Luckily, Lucy walked up to and beside Chrom to voice her concerns.

"Are you two sure about that? There could be more Risen lurking on the other side of this Outrealm Gate and—"

"Relax Lucy," a voice called out from behind the trees, prompting everyone to turn towards the voice's direction. "I can sense no more forces from the other side of the gate, so this area should be safe from here on out."

* * *

The Shepherds had reached for their weapons and braced themselves for a possible confrontation, watching the trees intently. From behind them four figures walked out of the shadows, two men and two women dressed in robes and armor, also equipped for combat it seemed.

"Who are you?" Frederick asked, wary of the sudden appearance of these mystery soldiers. The light skinned man turned his attention to Frederick, his blue eyes sharp and cold.

"At ease knight, we are not here for any sort of altercations I assure you."

"Yeah!" the lighter female to his right beamed, "Besides, you guys were pretty amazing out there! Well, at least until that big 'ol zombie started whuppin you up anyways, but who cares? Not me!"

Feeling less suspicious of the four enigmas, Chrom slowly sheathed Falchion back into its hilt, taking in a breath of relief. "Well then, if you're not here for trouble then what is it that you want with us?"

"Hmph, simple," the gray-shaded male snorted far from the other man, "You are all screwed unless you prepare yourselves for a great catastrophe."

"Beautiful Lucy has already informed us of the situation my good sir." Virion assured the man, earning a hateful glare his direction from him and blanching at the expression. "Of course, if there is something that our fair lady has not yet informed us on, please feel free to do so."

"It is the greatest catastrophe this world has ever seen," the darker female stated. "You will need many people to get your world out of this one, and boy is this disaster going to be a doozy."

Lucy became immediately suspicious of these four individuals, steeling herself for anything that they may throw at them. "How do you know the state of my world? I've never even seen you around then; could you have come through an Outrealm Gate like I have?"

"Outrealm Gate?" the first man asked, "No, we simply traveled here through other means, means that are currently impossible to your kind."

"Our kind?" Bleu was confused; weren't these people the same as us? They looked so human and yet—

'_I don't think they're human Bleu…'_ Rouge telegraphed to him. _'I mean, well, they don't seem to be very human at the least…'_

'They do look very outlandish compared to us…'

"We will tell you all one more thing before we depart," the man spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "You will all face many trials ahead of you, some of which that do not pertain to what will befall the world and some of which will. Betrayal, death, insurrection, powerlessness, infighting, these things can be averted if you strengthen yourselves now, including you Lucy. Brave them, and you will be nigh unstoppable. But you must be ready to face them all head on. We will meet again I assure you; our goals will intertwine with each other's rather than clash against them."

"And maybe we can all even be friends too, wouldn't that be fun?" the brighter woman chirped. Everyone had stayed quiet after a while, until Lissa spoke up.

"But why can't you guys come with us. I mean, you said that stuff about intertwining and crossing paths, so wouldn't our goals be the same?"

"Not exactly. And besides, consider this a form of a trial: we will not travel with you, but we will keep watch over you. If that is all, then we must leave you now." Before they could set off, Bleu and Rouge stopped them with a last question.

"Wait, before you go…" "Can you at least give us your names?"

The man who had done the most talking seemed to be considering whether they should or not. He seemed to agree afterwards, turning to face the Shepherds.

"My name is Adam Joseph Cross, co-squad leader of Xethra's Special Operations Forces, 1st division: Core Guardians."

"And my name's Eve Mary Cross, co-squad leader of Xethra's Special Operations Forces, 1st division: Core Guardians, just like Adam!" the bright skinned female stated with a wide grin on her face. The other two seemed more reluctant to give their identities but eventually relented.

"Madaz," the darker man spoke first, "Co-squad leader of Xethra's Special Operations Forces, 13th division: Legion of Darkness. Don't get too friendly with me though, I'm not a people's person"

"And you can call me Zeve" the sultrier and darker woman said, "Co-squad leader of Xethra's Special Operations Forces, 13th division: Legion of Darkness. I suppose it's a pleasure to meet you all; not as pleasurable as _other_ things, but oh well."

"I see. Well then, I am Chrom Lowell, leader and founder of the Shepherds Army." Chrom spoke with an air of dignity.

"I'm Lissa Lowell, Chrom's little sister and an honorary Shepherd!" the spritely cleric declared with a dramatic wave of her arms. "Nice to meet you all!"

"I am Sir Frederick Berenstain," the knight said with a bowing gesture, "second in command of the Shepherds Army."

"The name's Sully of the Shepherds' Knights," the red-headed paladin added, "Lady Sully Soirée if you're into that full name basis stuff."

"Virion de Gaulle at your service," the sniper bowed with a noticeable flair, "also known as the Archest of Archers!"

"Um…" Bleu and Rouge seemed to be somewhat bashful at introducing themselves, something that Adam picked up on. "Well, we don't remember what our original names are, but my current name is Bleu," "And mine is Rouge." "We're the newly appointed tacticians of the Shepherds Army, or grandmasters if you care to split hairs."

"I see that." Adam remarked as he observed the pair. "Well then, now that we've made our introductions, I believe we must get going. I suppose we'll see you around."

"Try not to die, otherwise I'll be really sad!"

"Hmph, about time we left."

"See you cuties around~" And with that, the enigmatic individuals vanished behind the trees. Chrom thought about what the man had said, about trials and tribulations. He figured that once he got back to Ylisstol he would have more time to ponder about it.

"Alright then, come on everyone. We're expected back in Ylisstol by now, and we shouldn't keep our people waiting should we?"

"Nope!"

"T'would be a bad display of mannerisms if we did milord."

"Yeah; besides, I'd better get back to the garrison and make sure Vaike didn't fuck anything up while we were gone."

"A thought shared amongst us fair Sully. Shepherds, _away!_"

The two knights hoped upon their horses and gave the command to start galloping towards Ylisstol, with the others walking along the ground, leaving this strange environment behind. Bleu and Rouge got ready to leave when they noticed that Lucy was nowhere to be found.

'_Strange… she just up and left without saying goodbye…'_

'_Maybe she's got her own goals to worry about anyways, but I doubt that this is the last we'll see of her.'_

'_Ditto on that one…'_ Bleu stared absent-mindedly at the ground as they caught up to the rest of the Shepherds, deep in thought. Rouge noticed the shift in his thoughts and wondered what was on his mind, guessing that is was the same as her own.

'…_Bleu… is something bothering you?'_

'_It's just… when the guide told us to give in to our primal desires and the darkness, for some reason it felt… right… natural somehow, as if it was… a part of us… even as we fought that monster it somehow felt like it was supposed to be like that…'_

'_So you weren't the only one who felt that? He seemed pretty sinister while we were fighting that Chieftain… and before all of this he saved us and said that we need to be alive to fulfill our destinies… damn it, what's really going on here and what does it all mean?'_

'_I don't know either Rouge, but we'll find our answers soon…'_

'_Yeah, I know…'_ The two grandmasters looked at each other in the eyes, then nodded in silent agreement; whatever trials the Shepherds faced, they would make sure that they all made it through them together.

* * *

**Author's Departure Notes: Wow… I honestly didn't expect to be able do the finale in one day. I guess it's because today was a free day for me. Anyways, that's it for this chapter; the next one will be one of the aforementioned "Interlogues" and focus on Bleu and Rouge's introduction to the rest of the Shepherds. I got some of the intended mystery characters out in the open and they are indeed OC's; their exact role I will not expand upon, but rest assured they will show up more especially in the later parts of the story. In any case, this is Blue Sun Studios signing off the air; stay tuned for the next installment of **_**Fire Emblem Re-Awakening: "Induction through Blood"!**_


	8. Interlogue 1: Induction through Blood P1

**Author's Introduction Notes: 'sup folks, I'm back with the next installment to boot too! This chapter will mostly get to the interactions between different characters rather than the plot itself. This chapter is basically when the Avatar/My-Unit/Robin/Rufure/Whatever-the-Hell-Else-you-Want-to-Call-them is introduced to the other Shepherds via Lissa/Liz and whatever went on for the rest of the day before the march to Regna Ferox in-universe. I kind of figured out how I get these chapters done so quickly: I never really work on the story if I have a lot of work to do in a given day, and since I've been getting free time as of late I've been putting work into it more than usual. Plus, I actually finished this one around some time ago, but forgot to upload it and the previous chapter earlier. Enough talk, it's about time I read to you the omni-important disclaimer.**

**The following is a nonprofit fan-based adaptation. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon through Fire Emblem Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official release. WARNING: this fanfiction in its entirety contains objectionable content that some may find inappropriate or uncomfortable. If you are an underaged/immature minor, a narrow/closed-minded adult, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to read this. For those of you who are all set to read this, Read, Rate, and Review at your own discretion.**

"" **indicates spoken dialogue while **_**'' indicates thought dialogue**_**.**

* * *

**Interlogue 1: Induction through Blood: Introduction**

* * *

The Shepherds had finally reached a city's gate early in the dawn after traversing through the wilderness for nearly the entire night. Two soldiers stood positioned outside the large entrance, lances in their grasp and clad in rich blue robes underneath their armor. Once the Shepherds had come within view of the guards they quickly shifted into a combat stance in an effort to repel would-be ruffians. Frederick, not expecting this in the least, rode his wagon up to the front of the group and dismounted from his horse, striding over to the two soldiers intending to figure out the situation. The second he stepped within their range, they aimed their weapons right at his armored form, causing the confused knight to back away with his hands in a defensive gesture and earning surprised glances from the Shepherds behind their lieutenant as they advanced towards him.

"Halt; identify yourself and state your business." one of the soldiers spoke. "Are you of Ylisse, Regna Ferox, or Plegia?" Frederick had no idea why they were questioning him now; he's passed by this gate before with no problems from these guards.

"What exactly is going on here? Why are you—"

"_We_ are the ones doing the questioning here, _knight_." The second soldier interrupted, hostility dripping from his tone and brandishing his weapon closer to Frederick. "Now answer us, what nation do you belong to and what business do you have here in Ylisstol? Refusal to answer will result in—"

"Now hold on a minute," Chrom interjected, stepping forward to meet the guards. "You have no need to interrogate us; you _know_ us and we even passed by this gate before we left."

"No sir, we _don't_ know you, and we never saw you pass through here; on that note, who would _you_ happen to be?"

"I am Chrom Lowell, leader of the Shepherds Army, and you _will_ let us through to the capital."

"Chrom Lowell eh? Nice try rogue. That brick of a man is far too busy to even bother coming through here from what we understand."

"_What?!_ Oh that's IT!" Whatever patience Chrom had with these guards had evaporated, and he rushed to tackle one of the guards to the ground. The young man was held back by Frederick who, despite feeling just as mad as his leader, didn't want things to get out of hand.

"Milord, please! Restrain yourself!"

"NO! Let me at him! Let me at him!"

The others were surprised at these turn of events; they were currently being interrogated and barred entrance to the capitol despite the proof they had of already coming through here. Lissa wondered why this was happening, and then a single thought came to her head that she voiced aloud:

"Wait a minute, weren't these the new guards that we put in charge of here yesterday for today?"

That's what caused Chrom to stop his rage induced struggle against Frederick's hold. The guards who were nearly attacked wondered what Lissa had meant. "What do you mean new guards?"

"The previous guards who used to be stationed here got sick, so we vouched to find someone to replace them. I guess we forgot to see who the guards were ourselves, and I'm guessing you two are new here."

The two soldiers looked at each other with shock on their features, then they turned back to the group before them. "That sounds like the reason we were put in charge here. Strange, how could you…" Before they could question any further, Chrom had broken free from Frederick's grasp and ran up to one of the guards, drawing Falchion to the man's face with a murderous glare aimed at him.

"You see here? _THIS_ is the legendary blade Falchion that the Exalt herself entrusted me with. Get a _good_ look at it soldier."

The man became frantic, fearing that his life was being threatened by an angered Chrom, and once he looked at the blade realization and fear had hit him and his fellow guard like a ton of bricks He tried putting up his hands in defense, trying to calm the man down. "Sir wait! I apologize for the misunderstanding! I truly do! I just— I never saw you before so I feared you were some brigand trying to gain entrance! We were stationed here only a few hours ago so…"

Chrom almost didn't let up on the guard, still brandishing his weapon at the man and nearly growling at the man. After a while, he relented, figuring that it was not the man's intention to cause trouble. "*sigh* Alright then, I suppose I'll let you off the hook since you're new here. Now can we please just get inside to the capital?"

"O-of course sir! H-hold on…" The man stood to his feet and hurried straight to gate, trying not to incur the man's wrath again. He and the other guard reached for the levers on the wall and pulled them down, pulling the gate upwards. Once the gate was completely up, the guards motioned for the Shepherds to go through, saluting them as they passed. And after the Shepherds had gotten to the other side of the torch-lit tunnel, they were met with two more soldiers who guarded a second gate. Chrom internally groaned, hoping that these weren't new guards that he'd have to deal with. Much to his luck, these soldiers seemed to recognize them even in the darkness and immediately moved to open this next gate.

"Much obliged my good men." Frederick thanked as he motioned for his horse to start moving again.

"Ah, no problem. After the Hell those new guys must've put you through why keep you in here?"

"Ugh, who picked them anyways?" Chrom complained, thankful that these guys were less willing to hold them in here.

'_Gee, I don't know. Wasn't it _YOUR_ idea to toughen up these sad excuses of soldiers?'_

'_Well, yes, but… oh forget it'_

'_That's what I thought.'_

Once the gate had been opened, the soldiers had been greeted with a bright and peaceful view of a relatively well kept city. Not too many people were outside at this time, mostly being guards and a few early birds who tended to their chores. Bleu and Rouge could only look on with a sense of slight wonder as they came upon what was their first time being in a peaceful place.

"You two seem pretty impressed," Chrom noted with a smile on his face for the first time that day, the two amnesiacs looking at him. "Welcome to Ylisstol my friends."

* * *

Two hours into the day and the streets had become bustling with activity: people were buying things from various markets everywhere one looked, children were running about playing with each other and some of the soldiers occasionally, and the air had been filled with the aromas of many types of food. Frederick breathed a breath of relief, his apparent worries having faded completely.

"It appears that the capital was spared of the chaos we've encountered, thank the gods for that boon. I see no evidence of an Outrealm Gate's presence here; it must've been limited to the forest we camped in last night."

"Yup," Lissa chimed in, "Otherwise that would've been a complete mess for these people here! I don't want to even imagine that happening!"

"Ditto on that one Lissa." her elder brother agreed. "I wonder though, about what that man Adam said to us back in the forest…"

"About trials and stuff? Don't worry about it big bro, we'll all make it through together!"

"That's right Lissa." Rouge said, smiling and patting the cleric on her head. "No matter what, we'll all pull through it. I have faith in our newly created bonds and our own—"

"Look!" an elderly man called out from a stand. "The Exalt has come to see us!"

The Shepherds had turned to look where the old man had pointed to. Coming down the street was a golden haired woman dressed in green and yellow sage robes and wearing a sort of halo-crown in the back of her head. Her face held a serene yet dignified expression as she waved back and forth to the people, all of whom either smiled at her or waved in return. The soldiers who were not accompanying her through the streets were saluting her as she passed by them.

"Wait, that's _the_ Exalt?" Bleu asked aloud. "You mean this halidom's ruler is in town for a visit?"

"Of course," Chrom assured him, "I mean, why not? A ruler needs proper exposure with their people correct? And it's not like someone here is going to attack her in case you're worried about her walking amongst the commoners."

'_Tch, yeah right. I bet the moment she's all alone she'll find a dagger in her__—__'_

"Really? I mean, well, oh never mind. You must know this place well enough don't you?"

"Of course I do; I _LIVE_ here remember? Anyways, her name is Lady Emmeryn."

"The Exalt is a symbol of peace—Ylisse's most prized quality." Frederick stated. "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon named Grima tried to destroy the world. But the first Exalt joined forces with the divine dragon Naga and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

Unbeknownst to the Shepherds, a voice was screaming and howling on the inside of Bleu and Rouge's head.

"_**Lies, all lies! Do not believe that man; that cursed dragon Naga had no right to do what she did! Curse her name for all eternity!"**_

Bleu and Rouge had begun staring off at the Exalt, wondering why their guide had come back to them only to scream at them about some dragon. They decided to shrug it off, feeling that since they were not here for help they didn't particularly had to take what they said to heart.

"The people need her." Chrom added to Frederick's exposition. "She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war."

Bleu and Rouge internally warmed at the thought of someone so inclined to peacekeeping, facing her with a sense of admiration. "Then the Ylissean people are truly blessed to have her as the Exalt." While beholding Emmeryn with stars in their eyes, they never noticed the downcast expressions that some of their friends had adopted, Chrom included.

"She's also the best big sister that anyone could ever ask for!" Lissa declared, pride and joy seeping out through to her face. Bleu and Rouge could only chuckle at the girl's radiant disposition.

"Yes, we imagine that she—" The two amnesiacs stopped their sentence cold and dead, the cogs of their brilliant minds slowly turning. "_Waaaaiiiiiiiiit a minute…_ she's your…" Bleu and Rouge took another look at Emmeryn and back to Lissa and Chrom with widened eyes and slack jaws. "Wait… doesn't this make you and Chrom…"

"The prince and princess of the realm?" Frederick pointed out. "Yes it would Bleu and Rouge."

"B-but, you all said that you were 'Shepherds!'"

"And so we are...in a manner of speaking." Chrom added. "We just have a LOT of sheep to tend to. You guys _DO_ remember when I said that it was a figure of speech right?"

The white haired grandmasters struggled to find words to say after this revelation, stuttering while looking back and forth between the Exalt and the royals in front of them before they went silent. _"ACK!"_ The two hurried on to their knees kneeling before the pair. "C-Chrom... I mean, _Prince Chrom! Princess Lissa!_" "Please forgive our dreadful manners as of late, we didn't mean to—"

The man had bust out into a hearty laughter while stooping to his kneeling tacticians. "Oh man, you two are too much. Come now, just Chrom is fine with me. I've never really been one for formalities much. Now up you two and start acting normal before Lissa starts getting ideas."

"Yeah, although having _two_ assistants to help keep the palace tidy does sound tempting."

"Don't try it Lissa."

"Wow, a prince and a princess…" Bleu and Rouge mused to themselves. "If we had to guess, that's why Frederick tolerates all of the teasing eh?"

"Indeed." Frederick responded, feigning exasperation. "Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm…"

"It looks like Emm is finished greeting the people; she's headed back to the palace." Chrom turned to the tacticians to see them watching her leave. "I'm guessing you want to meet her huh?"

"Huh wha— oh, o-of course Chrom! Sire! I mean…" "W-we'd be honored to meet her!"

Chrom sighed to himself, grinning at his friends' predicament. "This is going to take some work."

"Hey, since you all are going to the palace, Im'ma head back to the garrison if that's okay with you?" Sully asked, waiting for her next orders.

"Sure; if you have stuff to take care of, then go ahead."

"Alright then, I'll see you guys later."

"Try not to kill the others Sully, at least not until we get these two introduced to them."

"Tch, like I'd listen to you anyways Chrom." Sully playfully remarked, giving her comrades a leaving salute and disappeared into the crowd along with her horse.

"I do believe I shall go with her if it so pleases you all." Virion added. "After all, someone else must keep a watchful eye on the rest of the troops. I bid thee farewell until later my friends." With that, the graceful sniper trailed off with a tussle of his hair, fading with the crowd.

"Alright then, I guess it's just us. Next stop: Palace of Ylisstol!"

* * *

It took only a dozen minutes for Emmeryn and her personal guard of falcon knights to get back to the palace. She had some work to do, but she can afford to put it off considering how peaceful things had been. And besides, she had to wait for the rest of her family to get back and give her reports on their patrols. She didn't have to wait for long though; soon the doors to her throne room were opened to the smiling forms of Chrom and Lissa walking besides their lieutenant.

"Hi Emm, we're back!" Lissa greeted her elder sister, running up to glomp the living light out of her.

"_Oof!_ Well good morning to you too sister. I'm glad to see that you all have returned safely." The older woman rubbed her sister's head and stood to face her younger brother, his face beaming.

"And I'm glad that everything is in good shape, as are you Emm."

"Of course I'm fine my dear Chrom. I have you, Lissa, Sir Frederick, and the people to thank for my safety."

"But of course Lady Emmeryn." Frederick responded. "After all, we are a nation of peace; we must do all we can to emphasize that fact."

"Indeed Sir Frederick. I must ask, how fares your patrol expeditions?"

"Relatively calm for the most part, except for one or two nearly out of control incidents Emm."

"Oh?" Emmeryn was not exactly used to hearing that things were too much to handle for Chrom and his army, so naturally she was all ears on this one. "Do tell Chrom."

"Part of a south town was nearly burned down to the ground completely by a man named Garrick and his gang of brigands. There were a decent amount of survivors since we happened to be there when it happened, and the man was taken down with swift action."

"I see…"

"And on our way back we traveled through a forest to spend the night. Everything seemed to be calming down at first as we prepared to head in but… well… it's really complicated. Perhaps I should discuss _that_ incident more when we meet for council today."

"Indeed." Emmeryn looked at her siblings and their personal bodyguard, taking pride at how well they did to protect their people. _'We need more like them to help maintain peace for the Ylisseans and possibly even…'_ "Hmm?" The Exalt finally took notice of the two white haired individuals standing behind Chrom, wondering who they were and where they had come from. "Beg pardon, Chrom, but may I ask who those two people behind you are?"

"Huh?" Chrom looked confused for a second until he figured who she was talking about. "Oh! I'm sorry, I should have introduced them when we came in. *ahem*" The man stepped from in front of the pair and looked at them with a clear grin on his face. "The man is named Bleu and the woman is named Rouge, courtesy of Lissa; they're optimistic, kind, and brave for people who woke up with no memories of themselves. We found them half dead in an open field and they were surprisingly able to assist us in clearing out Garrick's band of brigands despite their injuries."

"And despite milord advising them to stay out of trouble because of their wounds and the fact we could not heal them at the time" Frederick stated, causing the two to look away from Emmeryn in embarrassment. "Rest assured, they managed to make a full recovery, well, except for their memories. And with their surprising tactical prowess, they managed to keep us safe throughout the rest of our journey back here against all manner of harm. Milord has decided to induct them as the Shepherds' tacticians."

Emmeryn regarded their forms with an air befitting of a noble queen, and smiled after taking in all the good Chrom and Frederick had said of them. "I must thank you two for your valiant and selfless efforts of protecting the innocent against your own condition. Truly, the people owe you a great debt." The Exalt gave the tacticians a serene bow of gratitude, causing them to blush brightly and smiling in turn.

"Oh, not at all your highness." "We're happy to be of help."

"Oh I wouldn't say it was _entirely_ selfless Emm." Chrom smirked while looking at them. "They ended up keeping some fancy daggers they found in the skirmish against Garrick. I'm thinking they decided to come with us knowing that they'll get some nice looking gear later on."

"Wha— Chrom, come on!" "You know that's not true!"

"Oh do I?"

Emmeryn couldn't help but laugh at how quickly Chrom had formed a friendship, albeit with two kind but complete strangers. "Now, now, Chrom, be nice."

"Aw come on Emm, I was just teasing. Besides, I know that they'll feel very welcome here, no doubt with people like us around for them."

"That much is true Chrom." The woman then turned to the falcon knight besides her. "Phila, may I ask you to guide Bleu and Rouge to the Shepherds' Garrison? I need Chrom and Frederick to help me set up for council."

The knight respectfully bowed in response to her ruler. "Of course your grace." She walked towards the tacticians and motioned for them to follow. "We're headed to where the Shepherds' are stationed. I'm not entirely sure how much room there is left, but I will see to it that you are properly accommodated during your stay as Shepherds."

"Much obliged Lady Phila." With that, the falcon knight led them out of the throne room with Lissa trailing them while Chrom and Frederick stayed behind to help with the meeting.

* * *

It had become high noon and a group of soldiers were relaxing inside of what appeared to be a large house. Many of them were chatting with one another about whatever happened to tickle their fancy.

"The poor lads never stood a chance against my awesome brawn, _gya har!_" a boisterous voice boomed out to a woman sitting next to him.

"Did you really have to go that hard on them?" the woman asked him, concerned for the "lads" he apparently beat. "I mean, they're still rookies for the most part."

"Ah, they'll tough it out; they _HAVE_ to if they wanna go toe-to-toe with 'ol teach here!"

"Since when were _YOU_ of all people a teacher Vaike?" A familiar voice asked the other male, entering the room with a tray of dishes laid out on them and seating himself across from the other two. "I shudder to think what forms of 'education' you are giving to the newer soldiers."

"Hey, lay off sniper!" the warrior decried in offense. "I've got smarts whether you wanna see so or not!"

"My name is _Virion_ you vulgar brute, and the only 'smarts' I can imagine you having is how to displace your belongings."

"Oh you're just jealous that you ain't got what I got! Ain't that right Sumia?"

The falcon knight seemed unsure whether to side with Vaike or not. "Um… well…"

"Ah you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, the Vaike can already see it in your eyes; I'm right and he's wrong, amirite?"

The sniper could only roll his eyes sipping on his tea, doing his best to ignore the man's claims. Just then, the front door came open and Phila stood in its doorway. "Ah, greetings my fair knight Phila, how goes your royal duties with the Exalt?"

"Accordingly Sir Virion." The woman replied with a curt bow.

"Heya Phila! What brings you here to the Garrison? You hardly ever visit your 'ol pals anymore."

"My apologies Sir Vaike, I shall strive to do so more often in the future. For now, I am here to introduce the newest members of the Shepherds to the rest of you."

"_Mmmmm_, fresh meat. Well then, who're the lucky newbies that get to hang with the Vaike?"

"They are the new tacticians for the army as Lord Chrom had appointed them to be."

"Tacticians?" Sumia asked, curious about Chrom's intentions. "We never had a tactician before, let alone two of them. What's the occasion?"

"According to sir Frederick they display a fairly high level of tactical talent. Chrom figured that it would best suit them. Here they are." The woman moved from the doorway and Lissa stepped in, blocking the door and preparing for introducing.

"Introducing our new and wonderful tacticians: _Bleu and Rouge! Ta-dah!_"

Bleu and Rouge had stepped in on cue of Lissa's dramatic show of hands once she cleared of the the doorway, feeling nervous at all of the eyes in their direction as they came within everyone's view.

"Um… hi. We're Bleu and Rouge, as Lissa just told you." "We hope to be able to establish meaningful ties with you all soon."

* * *

**Author's Departure Notes: So there you have it people, the first part of this Interlogue. This is where the interactions start, and it's a three part chapter to boot. Rest assured, things will focus on the "induction" part of the Interlogue. What will happen with Bleu and Rouge being the fresh meat of the army, especially with someone like Vaike around? Hilarity ensues, that's what. Stay tuned for this chapter's next installment!**


	9. Interlogue 1: Induction through Blood P2

**Author's Introduction Paragraph: hey there folks, this is the next part of the 1****st**** Interlogue chapter. Not much to really say here I'm afraid (other than Bleu and Rouge are really in for it), so I'm just going to jump right into the disclaimer below:**

**The following is a nonprofit, fan based fiction. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon through Fire Emblem Awakening are all owned by Intelligent Studios and Nintendo. Please support the official releases. WARNING: this story in its entirety contains content that some viewers (i.e. you) may find inappropriate, offensive, and/or uncomfortable. If you are a minor, unsure about reading this fiction, or some other third thing that shouldn't be here, I advise you not to not view this. For those of you who are allowed to and are all set to read this, please review at your own discretion.**

* * *

**Interlogue 1: Induction through Blood**

**Part 2**

* * *

Bleu and Rouge looked around what appeared to be the main room of the garrison after introducing themselves. They immediately recognized Virion, the sniper who helped them out in the bout against the Risen currently sipping on his tea, and then they took notice of the two individuals sitting across from him. The falcon knight looked somewhat apprehensive, but nevertheless she smiled at them complete with a shy wave. The warrior besides her however gave them a rather feral grin, his eyes latched on to them in a predatory manner. If he was any indication, they were going to get a lot of flak from the other members they would soon meet. Before they could begin speaking with the others, a panicked voice called out from another room.

"_Lissa_, my darling and dearest treasure, are you all right?! I've been on pins and needles ever since you left!"

Out of said room came running a young woman wearing mostly pink valkyrie attire and an expression of morbid fear. This didn't even faze the war cleric though, and she turned to the other woman with a warm smile on her face. "Oh, hey there Maribelle! How's it going?"

"'How's it going?' _'How's it going?!'_" The valkyrie nearly shrieked in semi-anger and worry at Lissa's casual tone. "You leave me for _two whole days_ and the _first_ thing you say to me when you get back is _'Oh, hey there Maribelle, how's it going'_?! I sprouted _fourteen_ gray hairs fretting over you! _**FOURTEEN**__, you hear me?!_"

Lissa couldn't help but giggle at her friend's well meaning, but exaggerated displays of concern. "Awww, you worry _way_ too much about me Maribelle and that _can't_ be healthy for you either, besides, I can handle my fair share of battles! ...Although I _should_ be thanking Sully and Virion for practically forcing me to eat bear meat of all things…"

"Oh they _did_, did they?" the older woman spat out while directing a venomous glare at the bluenette sniper, who dramatically brushed it off in response and kept sipping his tea. A hearty laughter belonging to Sully rang out, and the crimson paladin came strolling in to the main room.

"Guilty as charged." she said flashing one of her wicked grins, "and you better believe it was _damn_ funny to watch and see if she'd eat it or not."

"Ugh, must you all be so baseborn to stoop to eating bear meat, and to force my poor Lissa into doing it too?"

"Ah, lighten up Maribelle, some good ol' fashioned bear barbecue ain't gonna kill ya," Vaike lightly chided the noblewoman, "'sides, where's that brother of yours skulking off to squirt? I'll bet good coin he had a Hell of a time out there without ol' Teach as his trusty axe!"

"Oh ho, so you're "Teach" now, Vaike? Is that it?" Lissa merely laughed at the warrior's boasts. "Hee hee! And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught as well?"

"Life lesson number one kiddo; NEVER doubt the Vaike! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha… ha… _wwaaaiiiiittt_… was that an insult?" Nearly everyone in the room bust out into their own laughter at the man's apparent inability to detect insults. After it all died down Sumia began to speak up.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude but, when are we going to see Chrom this afternoon?"

"Oh poor Sumia. She's simply been beside herself with concern... you will not believe how riddled with worry she was when it came to Chrom's wellbeing."

"Aww, how sweet of you to worry about my big bro so much Sumia! I wonder why? Maybe it's because you _lliiiiiike_ him after all? _Huuuuh_?"

The falcon knight quickly turned to Lissa with a face of indignation. "What?! Oh ho, no—DON'T get the wrong idea little lady. He's our captain, of COURSE I'd be worried about him. That and he's a nice guy, but that's just about it between us. You really haven't forgotten about it have you Lissa?"

"Oh… okay then… just curious…"

"…So! Who're the strangers kiddo?" Vaike suddenly shouted, hoping to deflect the awkward silence from the room. "They look _really_ fresh cut to me, like the 'fresh fish out of water' types, which happen to be my favorite type of newbies."

"Oh please, as if ANYONE is stranger than you Vaike."

"Except Kellam though," Sully stated, "NOBODY knows how he just happens to be unnoticeable, despite him wearing that _ridiculously_ large suit of bright as fuck general armor, which happens to be _orange_. Seriously, with someone like HIM walking around with clunky ass armor as well, you'd _think_ we'd be able to spot him with no problems." Even when saying this, neither Sully or anyone else could seem to notice the aforementioned general in the corner, waving to them with no results before dejectedly hanging his helmeted head.

"In any case, even though we've already named names, these two are Bleu and Rouge, the boy's Bleu and the girl's Rouge in case you couldn't tell. They just joined the Shepherds as the new tacticians, which I already told you. But man, you should've seen them in action! They were just AWESOME! You would not BELIEVE the tricks they got up their sleeves; they even took on a giant, killer zombie and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up there kiddo. You're saying that they fought a _zombie_? C'mon, everyone knows that those are just horror story mooks that parents be inventin' ta—"

"Actually Sir Vaike," Phila politely interrupted, "me and my squadron have encountered such things during our latest patrol outside of the capital. As far as we've seen they were roaming among the open roads up north. Lady Emmeryn has decided to hold council to figure how to deal with this perceived threat."

Everyone in the room had become quiet upon hearing the news. Sully and Virion weren't surprised in the least, but everyone else had looked as if someone told them their pet cat had been sodomized. A new voice called them out from their thoughts.

"Hold a moment, Commander Phila. You claim to have bore witness to what is perceived as an undead creature. On exactly what terms were these 'zombies' classified as such?"

Phila wasn't necessarily prepared to explain to Miriel, the Shepherd's head of their research and development team and chief doctor, what made these creatures "zombies". "Well Lady Miriel, the creatures we encountered were of ashen skin, a common trait of corpses, and they appeared to be devoid of any emotion outside of attacking living creatures, as we witnessed earlier. They also survive wounds that prove to be fatal to any normal living being, including a direct impalement of where their hearts are considered to reside and shrug off the injury as if it was inconsequential."

"Did they have glowing red eyes by any chance? And was there a giant one with a skull mask and super black skin?" Lissa asked the commander. Phila didn't expect the girl to know what the creatures looked like despite already mentioning an encounter with them.

"So you have fought with them as well I see. Then you must know how much of a danger they are to us all correct?"

"Hoo boy, no kidding about that part. But I don't think we should have TOO much of a problem; I mean, Frederick, Sully, and Virion were all ganging up on the giant thing and they couldn't even put a scratch on it, even when it had Lucy as hostage, and Bleu and Rouge went totally NUTS and killed it in less than a minute!"

"Damn, that's some serious skill right there, for a couple a—"

"Don't say it Vaike."

"What? I gonna say—"

"Wow, that sounds pretty cool." another younger voice chimed in. What appeared to be a young boy clad in nearly all black armor removed his helmet in the others' presence. "Whew, this helmet though… hi there, my name's Ricken. Pleased to meet you!" The young dark knight held out his hand to shake with the two grandmasters, though something in Rouge's mind had snapped upon seeing him.

* * *

"_*gasp* CUTIE!"_ The amnesiac woman ran up to the boy and scooped him up into her arms, hugging his body tightly against her own and placing his face smack dab between her... you get the idea. Of course, Sully and Vaike starting snickering at the helpless Shepherd, with the others only face palming at the whole situation. "You are so cute I could just _squeeze_ you all day! Look at him Bleu, isn't he just the cutest little thing you've ever seen?"

"Hey, how come you never called ME cute?" Lissa whined to the white haired woman, which went ignored by everyone else.

"Heh, well he _does_ look real cuddly, at least for as much as I can remember… which… isn't anything at all…"

"…oh yeah…" Rouge loosened her grip on Ricken long enough for him to quickly slide from her hold, breathing heavily in spite of everyone else's laughter.

"_Please… please don't do that again…"_

"Aww, looks like little Ricken can't handle tits being shoved in his face for free," Sully cracked up, prompting some others to lose it in laughter and earning a spiteful glare from Maribelle. Rouge stood in confusion for a moment until the implications of her actions set in.

"Way to go Ricken!" Vaike jeered while holding his gut, "You two barely met and the first thing she does is give you g-rated service! And she looks to be quite round and shapely too, lucky you!"

Rouge immediately covered her face in embarrassment, Phila and Bleu taking slight pity on the female grandmaster.

"Aw come on guys, that's enough teasing for one day, especially for our new recruits."

"Ah come on Stahl, we're having a good ol', Shepherd-styled induction party for these two!"

"If I knew a party was going on, I'd have baked more treats for you all." Coming from the kitchen were three individuals still wearing aprons; one was a green paladin with a shaggy head of green hair, another was a pink haired woman adorning silver armor with something of a cape made of feathers, and another was a redheaded woman who wore a black and red suit with minimal armor on her hips, shoulders, and head.

"Honestly you all, treating the newest Shepherds like this isn't exactly going to get them to be friendly with us." The pink haired woman reprimanded the group. Virion stood to correct her.

"Oh contraire my fair Cherche; with the noblest help of yours truly, they shall both feel very much at home."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you Cherche," the lady next to her called out, "If anything, Virion will make the lady feel right at home, but I'm none too sure about her male friend."

"You wound me Cordelia, I have but the noblest of intentions."

"And what would that happen to entail Virion? Charming the woman into your quarters I assume?"

"Oh no, nothing of the sort, at least not right away. While I have a sworn duty to do my best for the fairer sex, if I am to prove my sincerity I shall strive to assist my fellow specimen as well."

"Geez man, do you EVER knock off the flowery speeches?"

"N-now see here you… you… oh folly, what's the use of explaining to YOU of all people when the only thing you've got going on for yourself is how obsessed you are with your musculature?"

"Hey, the Vaike's gotta strive for perfection if he's gonna lead the troops in Chrom's absence!"

"And who said YOU would be a 'perfect' candidate for that?" Lissa added. "Anyways, these are our newest members, Bleu and Rouge! Now make with the introductions people, I'm not gonna spell all of your names out for you!"

"The Vaike always goes first, just so you all know," the warrior announced. "Alrighty you two, even though I'm not your superior YET, I go by Sir Vaike of the Varg Clan, but you can just call me Vaike or Teach for now. Ya got it?"

"Of course, Sir Vaike."

"Hey, now that's more like it! You guys catch on quick!" The man grinned, unaware of the omnipresent eye rolling in the room.

"Well since Vaike spoke his full title I may as well do the same," the green paladin shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Sir Stahl Sort, nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too Stahl!" "We can't wait to getting to know you more."

"Me neither."

"I am Duchess Maribelle of the House of Themis," the valkyrie stated with a curt bow, "and while I DO find it redundant to constantly refer me by my full title, I DO expect you to _at least_ refer to me as a lady and to do your best to maintain an air of dignity and properness, is that much clear to you?"

"Y-yes Lady Maribelle," "We'll do good to remember it well."

"I can only hope as much. And I shall see to it that you feel quite welcome as a new Shepherd."

"Well since everyone insists my full name is Cherche Maylis," she plainly spoke, "though my full title would be Lady Cherche Maylis of the House of Virion." The woman's statement caused Bleu and Rouge to quickly snap their eyes towards Virion.

"What, you too Virion? First Chrom and Lissa…"

"Indeed, I am a duke from a far off land… or at least, a former duke…"

"…What exactly happened?"

"It's… something I'd rather not dwell on too much…"

"All right then; if it's too personal we understand."

"He'll be fine, since he has people like us to be around; trust me." Sumia assured with a smile. "Anyways, I'm Lady Maria Sumia, though I mostly go by my last name. Whichever's fine with me, I'm not really picky about names."

"Heh, we'll keep that in mind."

"Well, I'm Ricken of the House of Thomason, professor in training…"

"Oh, that reminds me! Listen, I'm _really_ sorry about that bear hug from earlier. Please don't be mad at me for it, I just… something must've broken inside of me when I saw you..."

"Oh, I won't. I know you didn't try to hurt me or anything malicious of the sort. I'm just really not used to getting bear hugged…"

"If you must become knowledgeable of the full title and name that make up my identity, I am fully known as Miriel of the House of Íde, Doctor of Philosophy."

"Wow, that's a pretty prestigious title," "you must've worked HARD to get that."

"Yes, but only because the honor itself would allow me to conduct in research unavailable to the general populace at large. My goal in life is to demystify all of the mysteries of the world, and I desire little of anything else as a woman of science."

"That sounds to be a nigh impossible task," "but it's definitely a goal worth looking into nonetheless."

"And last but not least, I'm Sir Cordelia Lear, honorary knight of Phila's Pegasus squadron. I hope that we will establish many a fond memory with each other during service."

"As do we."

"*ahem* Um… my name's Kellam, Sir Kellam Aonghus if you want the full title."

* * *

Within an instant everyone had begun spinning around trying to locate the voice. Everyone except for Bleu and Rouge who were aptly staring into a corner into the room. "Oh, hello there." "What're you doing standing in a corner?"

"Uh, well," The armored man seemed to just twiddle his fingers, which was morbidly funny for a general to be doing that. "I have _attention_ problems to say the least, they're somewhat complicated. Sorry my voice sounds really muffled right now, it's the helmet."

"How come you don't just take the whole thing off inside?"

"Well, I just feel safer with it on, and it really doesn't bother me too much. I actually find it comfy in a sense."

"Dude, seriously how d'you _live_ with that thing on 24/7?" Vaike incredulously inquired. 'We get complaints from everyone about these suits and you find it perfectly fine?"

"Like I said, it doesn't really bother me."

"*sigh* I mean no offense when I say this, but whatever floats your boat man. I just need to figure out how to see you better."

"Exactly," Cordelia added. "You're basically the perfect spy, even as a general, which is extremely absurd taking that into account."

"Generals are THE physically slowest and least evasive members in any army PERIOD." Ricken said. "There's just no arguing with it either. So how is it near impossible to see or hear you often? This HAS to be some arcane magic at work."

"Honestly, I think that I just lack presence."

"Well, whatever it is, we're grateful that enemies have the same problems," someone called out from the entrance, "Since we aim to reduce casualties to a nonexistent number this is a godsend when you think about it." Bleu stepped out of the doorway to allow the speaker to come in.

"Hey Chrom! How did things go with Emm?"

"Swimmingly Lissa, except for a handful of mundane things like the color of the council room. So, you two get around to knowing who you'll be working with from here on out?"

"Oh, y-yeah Chrom. Well, somewhat." "We did get around to the names, honorary titles included."

"Think you're going to remember all of that? I mean, with your amnesia it must be, I mean, um… well, it IS a lot of names though. Heh, honestly, I'm even having trouble remembering some of my soldiers titles too. Er, that is to say that—"

"So, Chrom! How'd things go on your end huh? Bet'cha you had problems without me to keep you out of them, hah!"

"Oh certainly," the blue haired prince sarcastically remarked, "because I need you to forget your weapons out there and I have to be the one to get YOU out of messes."

"Hey man, that was only _one_ time… okay _two_ times, but mock scouts don't count! Besides, don't even act like you didn't leave your own weapon in some random dude's bod!"

"I'm not denying that incident am I Vaike? No? That's what I thought."

'_You are SO fucking bullshitting yourself right now that it's not even funny.'_

'_You wish! I wouldn't—'_

'_Wait a minute…'_

'_What?!'_

'Pay attention Princey_, you've got some burning and angry eyes right on you. I think you know who I'm talking about don't you?'_

Chrom snapped out of his internal argument and looked around to see who his other persona meant. His rich blue eyes had laid upon everyone else's until he came upon red: it wasn't any type of red, it was crimson red, a shade of eye color belonging to one person, someone he hadn't seen in a while. He never thought he'd see them again, and for some reason he dreaded reuniting with those crimson red eyes ever since he last held them in his gaze. _"…Cordelia?"_

"It's been a while, _Chrom_."

* * *

**Author's Departure Notes: I don't have much to say here either, except that a certain character trait has been twisted. Cordelia and Chrom's got something going on between them, but what is it exactly? Why does she look so hateful towards Chrom, why is he scared of meeting her again, and how come he hadn't seen her in some time? Those are all questions that will be answered in the next part of this story. Until then, adios amigos!**


End file.
